Joseph Raley, a 2023 graduate of Helias Catholic High School, has received a National Merit Scholarship from the University of Missouri-Columbia covering 100% tuition for four years of undergraduate study.

U.S. colleges and universities that finance National Merit Scholarships selected their winners from among the finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Last fall more than 16,000 semifinalists were selected as the highest-scoring program entrants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors. Finalists were selected based on detailed scholarship applications, their outstanding academic record, and SAT or ACT scores.

Joseph was honored as one of 15 valedictorians for the Helias Catholic Class of 2023.

During his senior year, Joseph earned Outstanding Scientific Research recognition from the Helias Catholic High School Science Department for his independent research investigating the potential energy surface for a particle and analyzing data to validate a new force field that describes explosives.

He plans to study chemistry at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Joseph is a member of United Methodist Church of Mokane.