EDUCATION
RRHS 2026 valedictorian named National Merit scholar
Jacob Rice, who is headed to University of Alabama to study aerospace engineering, was the only Rio Rancho High School student out of 15 other New Mexicans to receive the prestigious honor
RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho High School graduate Jacob Rice has the scholarship winds at his back as he prepares to enter college this summer.
Rice was recently named a National Merit Scholar by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which will give him a full-ride to the University of Alabama, where he plans to study aerospace engineering. The scholarship is an honor given to just 15 young New Mexicans during the program's third round of awards this year, according to a news release.
In a recent interview from his Cabezon home, Rice said he couldn't be more thrilled to attend UA as a National Merit Scholar.
"The scholarship is really helping me with college, and I'm super grateful the University of Alabama gave it to me, because not a lot of other colleges gave out this scholarship. It's nice to have Alabama reward me for hard work," Rice said.
An academic adviser told Rice about UA's offering of the scholarship, but his heart was in the Miami University in Ohio, his sister's alma mater. However, when the university didn't offer Rice a lot of scholarships, he turned his attention to Alabama.
"I realized it's a really good school for engineering," Rice said. "With the scholarship and how great the school was, it was a no-brainer. I'm going."
When Rice spoke at RRHS's graduation in May, he was an electrical engineering major, but he switched to studying aerospace engineering during UA summer orientation. Rice was inspired by this spring's Artemis II mission, the only crewed space flight beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, and U.S. exploration of Mars.
"I've always wanted to get involved in that whole scene and lean into the space part of engineering," Rice said.
He noted his interest in aeronautics might stem from his hobby of folding paper airplanes, which he later turned into a class project. Not to mention Rice, who has spent most of his life in New Mexico, comes from a hot air balloon family. His father, Brad Rice, an Intel employee, once flew hot air balloons as a career. Brad Rice became emotional as he spoke about his son's accomplishments.
"I didn't want to push him. My wife and I have always allowed these kids to choose their paths," Brad Rice said, referring to his son's siblings. "That he's ended up here, there's not a word you can use, to be honest. … I would want to go back and get another degree."
There's something else the junior Rice is looking forward to when he joins UA: a "VIP" meal plan. Rice, a lifelong swimmer who loves to eat out, told RRHS graduates during his speech that as independent adults, they will have to learn how to judge whether takeout is spoiled. Rice's top fast-food choices: Subway, Panda Express, Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane's.
"Basically, (my routine) lets me eat what I want whenever I want, so I burn all the calories away, and it doesn't really matter," he said.
What matters to Rice right now is preparing for life in Tuscaloosa. When he is not tending to his summer job as a lifeguard, Rice is buying essentials for his college dorm and group-chatting with roommates over a likely rock-climbing adventure.
"That's something, at least. It's made it … less nerve-wracking moving into an entirely new place. I'm excited," Rice said.