More than a million students entered the competition in 2025, their junior year.

They took the PSAT, entered an essay and passed through the rigorous selection process.

Of those million-plus, 15,000 are recognized as finalists.

From that group, 2,500 were chosen as National Merit Scholarship winners.

East High Senior Dorian Carpenter is among that elite group, earning the $2,500 prize.

National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skill, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

These scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

Carpenter, who plans on studying nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee with an eye to working at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, was announced Thursday as a National Merit Scholar.

Carpenter admitted he had some level of confidence going in but did not expect to make it to the end.

“I was confident in myself to at least make semi-finalist, but I wasn’t expecting to make it as far as I did and receive the award itself,” he said.

Then, when the notification came, he was “completely shocked.”

“I was very grateful, very glad to have received it as it will help me towards my college. It is really needed and appreciated,” he said.

The National Merit program first entered Carpenter’s radar after his PSAT score qualified him for consideration.

“I proceeded to look into it and based on those scores I decided to keep looking into it until I received the award,” he said.

Extracurricular activities are included in the qualification process and Carpenter’s prowess on the oboe proved helpful.

He is the principal oboist of the Knoxville Youth Symphony, the Morristown East Concert Band and the Walters State Community Band, as well as the East High Marching Band’s drum major. He earned all-state honors this year.

While he hopes to continue his oboe career with a music minor at UT, the main focus will be nuclear engineering.

He says the opportunity to make the world a cleaner, safer place is part of what drove him to consider nuclear engineering, Carpenter said, adding that the pay scale doesn’t hurt.

“The amount of growth I hope the industry to have as a whole with several U.S. figures stating they’d like to increase nuclear power and the fact that nuclear power itself is so much cleaner and more stable than anything we use today so it would help our world as a whole be cleaner and better for the long term,” he said.

Carpenter thanked his friends and family for their support and helping to keep his feet on the ground.

“I’d like to thank Brandon Tilley, director of bands at Morristown East, for pushing me, never taking what I had to offer,” he said, “always making me push harder and give even more than what I had to give.

“I’d like to thank Chris Yeary and Lindsey Davis, two of my current teachers, just for always believing in me, showing me what’s really possible through education and what’s out there in the world to achieve.”