In the quest to be the best, it helps having people there to push you.

That was the case for co-valedictorians Krystal Bunch, Abigail Cole and Alec DeJonge.

The soon-to-be 2015 graduates of Brandywine High School are all good friends who have known each other for a long time.

DeJonge and Cole have been dating for four years.

“I feel like all three of us were competitive against each other — and we kind of pushed each other,” said Cole, whose parents are Thomas and Mary. “After freshman year we all had all As so it was like a competition to see who could keep it.

“We all have really good work ethic and responsibility. Sometimes people would go and have fun and we’d be at home doing homework.”

While Cole and DeJonge said they never really planned on being valedictorians, Bunch said she set that goal as a freshman.

“It is just something I’ve always wanted to do. No one in my family has done it and I wanted to be the first person,” she said. “I don’t like letting myself down or anyone else, so I like to push myself to see how far I can get.”

In addition to pushing each other, all three said their parents played a large role in helping them reach their full potential.

“I remember in elementary school they’d always ask if I had my homework done,” said DeJonge, whose parents are Robb and Kymm. “If I said, ‘No,’ they said I couldn’t play golf or watch TV until I got it done. They always made sure I got that stuff done before I did anything else.”

They also had the same advice for underclassmen wanting to get the most out of high school: Don’t mess around during freshman year.

“I have friends that did that and then they regretted it later because they didn’t make top 10 (GPA),” said Bunch, whose parents are Sherry and Tim.

“Definitely don’t mess around at the beginning and take it seriously,” Cole said. “Always work hard and take all the opportunities to further your education.”

All three plan to further their education after graduating this spring.

Cole is going to Calvin College to study speech pathology with the hopes of becoming a speech therapist at a school or a hospital, while Bunch said she would study pre-veterinarian at Michigan State University.

DeJonge will study mechanical engineering at Calvin College. He said he wants to design golf clubs.

“I’ve known since I was 10 or 11 that is what I wanted to do,” he said. “When I started getting men’s clubs, I realized that there were different things in each different brand of club. I would do research on it and thought it was interesting to see all the different things they would come up with to make a club better or make you perform better.”

Brandywine’s commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 31.

Cole said she would miss seeing her friends and teachers the most.

“We are all like a big family in some ways,” she said.

Rounding out the Brandywine Class of 2015 top 10 GPA list are:

4. Zachary Schmidt

5. Adam Reichanadter

6. Brooke Smith

7. Emily Cameron-Hesson

8. Hallie Carnes

9. Eishaa Rehman

10. Rachelle Dodge