From a young age, Seth Toal felt driven to succeed.
He was raised by a single mother who is blind, diabetic and a cancer survivor.
When his mom, Bridget, started a dog toy business, he used the experience he developed growing a YouTube channel to help her advertise.
He crafted social media posts to bring in customers and even built his mom a business card holder out of LEGOs.
“From the start, she always needed help,” Toal, 18, said. “My situation doesn’t allow me to sit back and just try to get through school. I’m motivated to be successful because I need to be.”
Toal’s childhood efforts were only the start of a dizzying list of achievements that has led to him being named the Reading Eagle’s Berks’ Best 2026 winner in business.
A senior at Gov. Mifflin High School, Toal is a year-round track and cross country athlete who has earned dozens of medals across various events, including state championships.
He’s served in multiple student organizations, such as the Academic Challenge Club, a competitive trivia team, and the National Honor Society. He’s also an officer with the Future Business Leaders of America, managing the organization’s communications and participating in meetings and other gatherings multiple times per week.
He volunteers regularly, not only through his work with student organizations, but with food distribution at Helping Harvest and the Mifflin Market, in addition to planting trees and helping with other environmental projects through Nolde Forest and the Governor Mifflin Arboretum, a districtwide environmental initiative.
His efforts have earned him various awards for community engagement, including Good Citizenship Awards, presented by state Sen. Judy Schwank and state Rep. Mark Gillen for outstanding character, leadership and community involvement.
To provide for his mother and younger sister, Toal works as an office administrator for a merger and acquisitions advisory firm, and on weekends, as a sales associate at Wawa.
That’s on top of numerous internships with State Farm, Brentwood Industries, the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance and more.
While doing all this, he’s somehow found the time to maintain a 3.97 non-weighted GPA, take numerous AP classes and be awarded for high placement on the AP exams.
He’s also a black belt in karate.
Toal’s academic chops were obvious to Wendi Greenleaf, Toal’s AP Literature and Composition teacher, from the moment she read his summer work essay.
“Seth’s ideas are always fresh and compelling, adding points to our discussions that even I had not previously considered,” Greenleaf said in a recommendation letter to Berks’ Best. “He is obviously well-read and has amassed such a broad scope and depth of knowledge that I often feel like I am having a discussion with a colleague rather than a student.”
Business has been Toal’s area of interest since his early experiences helping his mom grow her startups.
“I’m drawn to work that involves strategic thinking, financial analysis and helping businesses navigate important transitions,” Toal said.
It’s an arena that he plans on pursuing via Cornell University, where he will be headed in the fall to pursue a Bachelor of Science in applied economics and management.
After that, he aims to build a career in mergers and acquisitions. Toal said he hopes to have a positive impact as a mentor and supporter of ethical business practices.
“If I could use my services to help the community or businesses improve, that’s kind of my end goal,” Toal said. “Like a consultant, I’d want to go in and make a big change.”