The student: Michelle Levin, 18

School: Atholton High

Special achievement: Michelle was one of four nominees for the Rising Business Star award, sponsored by the Howard County Economic Development Authority's Equal Business Opportunity Committee. Chosen by her accounting teacher to manage a school store, Michelle kept accounting records, contributed to store policy and operating procedures and worked at the store as a volunteer. She was also a member of her school's field hockey and lacrosse teams and the National Honor Society.

What did she learn from her experience? "It's made me realize that there are a lot more issues that need to be dealt with [when running a business] than I originally thought. I realize now that when I see someone doing something, it's a lot more complicated. Something that seems so simple and so easy - actually there's a lot of work behind it," she says.

What's in store for the future? Michelle plans to major in human resource management at the University of Maryland this fall. "I really like working with people," she says.