My freshmen and sophomore years of college, I maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Got accolades and a group picture in front of a significant portion of the school for it. (forgettable pageantry though. those with good grades seldom got/get any lasting attention or benefit). I still have the fancy pens they gave me. It simultaneously was and wasn't a big deal. It felt good to be conquering college. It felt good to be recognized by friends as Mister 4.0. My perception of myself as a scholar and achiever was heightened.
I graduated at the top of my department (actually my roommate was first and I was second but I like to say we as a unit were # 1), Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude. Really could have gotten Summa Cum Laude and maybe even Salutatorian, but life happened...