A quarter of 93 valedictorians who appeared in the Boston Globe's "Face of Excellence" between 2005 and 2007 didn't graduate college within 6 years and 40% of them make less than $50,000, the Boston Globe discovered.
Why it matters: It is an epidemic of untapped potential, but the majority of the valedictorians did not complain about disadvantages and felt they were better off than their parents and had a fair shot. Almost a quarter of them had wanted to be doctors, but none had a medical degree. Four had experienced homelessness.
Read the Globe's 8 takeaways.