St. Edmond Catholic School senior Carter Rial was selected as one of those distinguished honorees for 2023.

Rial was named a Commended Student in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Annually, about 50,000 students are named, with 16,000 becoming semifinalists and 7,250 selected as outstanding finalists.

“I view my selection as a reflection of all the amazing people involved in my education,” Rial said. “Without the support and constructive criticism from various teachers at St. Edmond, I would not be the student I am today.

“I am beyond grateful for them.”

The 2021 PSAT/NMSQT served as an initial screen of entrants for the program. The Selection Index scores of students who met program participation requirements were used to designate a pool of more than 16,000 semifinalists on a state allocation basis.

“This is a very elite honor and I’m proud of Carter,” said Mary Gibb, president and high school principal of St. Edmond. “I’m happy that he is being recognized for his outstanding academic achievements. I know he has taken very rigorous high school and college classes during his high school career that have prepared him for whatever he wants to pursue in the future.”

Semifinalists are the highest scorers in each of the 50 states and represent less than one percent of each state’s high school seniors. About 1.6 million high school juniors sat for exams to be eligible for the honor.

Several scholarships and other awards are made available to Rial and those selected.

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” the NMSC said in a release. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.

“We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

After high school, Rial will enter the University of Iowa as a junior with his AA degree. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s in finance before attending law school.