Two Saint Joseph Seniors Earn National Merit Finalist Recognition

Being in the top one percent of any group is a tremendous accomplishment. For Elikem Amenuvor ‘25 and Ronan Pell ‘25, this number represents a terrific honor as it correlates with being named Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship program competition. 

The National Merit Scholarship is a high value academic scholarship given out to high school students each year who exemplify top notch academic abilities. Being named in Finalist standing means being among the carefully selected 15,000 scholars out of the over 1.5 million students across the country who were administered the PSAT/NMSQT examinations. 

Both Amenuvor and Pell excel in the classroom, but are also heavily involved in the greater Saint Joe’s community.

Amenuvor dedicates his time to not only his six AP courses, but also to the Environmental Club and Saint Joseph Theatre Company. This past December he was named Edison Rotary Senior of the Month.

“It feels great to know that the work that I put in here at Saint Joe’s is what I got out,” Amenuvor said. “Saint Joe’s has done a great job giving me all the resources to help me succeed.”

Pell, who also takes a full schedule of AP courses, is the President of the Investment Club and Co-President of the Model United Nations delegation. He attributes his success to his teachers for having a tremendous impact on his high school career.

“I can tell that teachers like Mr. Harring and Mr. Neri really want to be at Saint Joe's and really want to help us students succeed,” Pell said. “I really enjoyed how often Mr. Neri relates his lessons to the real world. He has also been instrumental in helping me raise $2,000 for the Investment Club's first-ever investment fund and coordinating two Investment Club trips to New York City.”

After both students have ended their academic careers at Saint Joe’s, they are looking forward to the future. Pell plans to work at 1435 Capital before pursuing a college degree while Amenuvor aims to do research as a chemical engineer, attend grad school, and later make alternative energies.

Saint Joseph High School congratulates Amenuvor and Pell, wishing them the best of luck for the rest of the National Merit Scholarship competition and beyond.