Annalee MacArthur, an accounting and finance double major at Southern Utah University (SUU), leaned on consistency and taking small steps to finish top of her class.
Named the 2025 valedictorian for SUU’s Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business, MacArthur has balanced her studies, leadership roles, and community involvement with a commitment to discipline and self-growth.
For MacArthur, the path to success has been shaped by intentional effort and an understanding that meaningful change comes from daily decisions.
“The small decisions you make in life lead to big things, and will determine who you truly are as a human,” she says.
Originally from California, MacArthur was drawn to SUU for its smaller class sizes and the sense of connection she felt on campus. That close-knit atmosphere inspired her to take on leadership opportunities and challenge herself to grow beyond her comfort zone.
While pursuing her dual major, MacArthur served as treasurer for the NSLS chapter at SUU and as director of email marketing for the Women in Business Club. She also worked as a teaching assistant for Dr. Melinda Ford, a professor she credits with helping her develop a deeper love for accounting.
Earning the title of valedictorian for the school of business was a reflection of the skills MacArthur worked hard to refine.
“Time management and leadership skills helped me succeed in my classes,” she says. Those skills both guided her academic performance and helped her foster meaningful relationships with peers and mentors.
When asked about the leader she admires most, MacArthur looks to her mother.
“My mom, Kelly MacArthur, taught me what it means to work hard and keep going even when life gets hard,” she says.
Her mother’s example of perseverance has served as a compass throughout MacArthur’s college journey, reminding her that setbacks are just part of the process. That mindset has also defined her leadership philosophy, being dependable, authentic, and a guiding light for others.
“Leadership means being able to be someone that others can trust and look up to.”
For MacArthur, involvement in the NSLS was more than a résumé addition; it was a turning point in her personal growth. “The NSLS helped me get out of my comfort zone,” she says.
Through its programs and community, she discovered how to lead with confidence, communicate effectively, and hold herself accountable to her goals.
That accountability remains central to her next chapter. As she prepares to graduate, MacArthur is focused on earning her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, a rigorous process that demands the same persistence that carried her to the top of her class.
“I plan to do this by holding myself accountable to studying and staying on track even when it gets hard,” she says. “I will also do this by having others keep me accountable as well.”
A major tenet of the NSLS Steps to Induction is Success Networking Team (SNT) meetings, designed to do just that: inspire members to set ambitious yet realistic goals while holding themselves and others in their SNT group accountable. For MacArthur, this focus on accountability and goal-setting has already led to earning her school’s top honor.
MacArthur’s leadership journey is a reminder that even the boldest achievements begin with a simple decision to keep going.
Her advice for others looking to grow and achieve their loftiest goals is a reminder often needed. “The worst someone can say is ‘no,’” she says.
For her, leadership is about courage, the kind that shows up in everyday moments, in reaching out, asking questions, and daring to take the first small step into the unknown.
Through her example, MacArthur demonstrates that great leaders aren’t built overnight or by pure luck; they are made over time, strengthened step-by-step, day-by-day, in the everyday decisions they make.
See how another business student and NSLS member has cooked up a recipe for success inside and outside the classroom, from interning for her city’s HR department, acting as a notary public, and running her own online business, meet Maria Rodriguez-Estrada.