A Liberty student recently got the highest possible score on the ACT.  According to a Wentzville School District official press release, junior Rafay Cheema earned the perfect 36 score making him among one of the half a percent of students to have scored a perfect score on the ACT. Among test takers in the U.S. in 2021, only 4,055 of nearly 1.3 million students earned an ACT composite score of 36.

Cheema, however, isn’t the first student from Liberty to achieve this lofty accomplishment, as his sister, Nawai Cheema also scored perfectly on the ACT back in 2019. 

English teacher Ms. Franke spoke on the success of her student.

“Getting a perfect ACT score comes from years of hard work through middle and high school. I’m proud of him for sure, and I’m glad that he was so successful, but I definitely am not responsible for his success,” Franke said.

In response to what he credits to his success, Cheema credits extracurriculars that helped him prepare for the ACT.

“Math league competitions which I have competed in since fourth grade, as well as competitive tennis tournaments have undoubtedly helped me perform well under pressure and have helped to make me a better test taker,” Cheema said. 

Cheema is a member of HOSA and participates on the debate team. He is a member of the Liberty varsity tennis team, qualifying for state for the past two years and finishing sixth as a freshman.

Cheema reflects on his huge accomplishment, feeling like this is a good foundation for his future. 

“For me, this accomplishment is a strong base upon which I can build, allowing me to reach higher places than before,” he said. “An opportunity that statistically few people get; but a strong foundation is nothing without a house on top, and that is something I have yet to create. While I am grateful for this opportunity, it means that I’ll have to work harder in the future to build on this success and use it to my advantage.”