Class of 1995 valedictorian Kristin Cobb developed a near-perfect recipe for success since she first arrived on campus -- a successful combination of academics and running.
But Cobb's academic track record for the last four years is not a perfect one.
"I got an A-minus once," said Cobb, who tops her class with a 3.99 grade point average and 12 academic citations. The misstep took place her freshman fall, in Education 54: Moral Development and Moral Education. "It was one of my favorites, actually," she said.
But Cobb did not fold in the face of adversity, and her record has been flawless ever since, culminating in her authorship of two senior honors theses, for her biology and her philosophy majors.
Cobb's outstanding academic performance also affords her the opportunity to share the podium with President Bill Clinton at Sunday's Commencement ceremony.
Cobb has had experience not giving up since she joined her school track team in seventh grade. In her years at the College, Cobb has counterbalanced her work in the classroom with wins on the track.
"You have to be very goal-oriented in both of them and have a lot of focus," Cobb said.
Watching Dartmouth's women's track team grow more competitive has proved to be the chief defining factor in her Dartmouth career.
"They've improved over the years, and I'm kind of upset not to be here next year," she said.
Cobb made the United States All-East running team in both the 1992 and 1993 seasons and was a NCAA individual cross-country qualifier. She runs cross-country and a host of other track events, excelling in all distances from the mile to the 10,000-meter.
"I really enjoy it," Cobb said. "It really relieves a lot of stress."
So much so that even though she has been accepted at Dartmouth Medical School in the fall, Cobb said she might defer for a year to continue competing for a running club.
"I just feel I haven't quite gotten as far with it as I could yet," Cobb said.
Cobb does not know yet what she plans to do for a career, although she said she has maintained an open mind about the future and considered a diverse range of professions such as teaching, coaching, writing or practicing medicine.
"Other things could come in along the way," she said.
In the mean time, Cobb said she will seize the unusually high profile of this year's Commencement speaker to address the politically hot topic of federal cuts to education grants, part of the Republican-led Congress' plan to control federal spending. Cobb said she will stress the importance of education in her valedictory speech.
