Stefanie Weisman

Stefanie Weisman is a woman of many interests. From history to art to computer science, she's studied (and aced) it all. Stefanie was born, raised, and still lives in Astoria, New York, across the river from Manhattan. She became valedictorian of Stuyvesant High School in 1999. At Columbia University, she specialized in medieval European history and graduated with the highest GPA in her class. She also received awards for Best Performance in Columbia's Core Curriculum, Best Senior Thesis in History on a non-U.S. Topic, Phi Beta Kappa, and Summa Cum Laude.

After working for several years in corporate America, Stefanie got her M.A. in the History of Art and Archaeology. She was a Craig Hugh Smyth fellow at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, where she studied ancient Greek and Roman art. Around this time, Stefanie developed an interest in technology and went back to Columbia to get a B.S. in computer science. While there, she decided to write a book to share her wide-ranging academic experience with other students. This book became The Secrets of Top Students (Sourcebooks EDU, 2013).

Stefanie's hobbies include reading ink-and-paper books, watching old films, hiking, getting lost in museums, traveling the world, memorizing Shakespeare, and eating her way through New York City. In addition to writing about education, Stefanie is working on a historical-fiction novel about the ancient Minoans. Her short story "In Search of E.B." was named a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2013.

You can find out more at her website, www.valedictoriansguide.com. Follow her on Twitter @StefanieWeisman, or Like the Stefanie Weisman Public Page on Facebook.