Webb City High School senior Carter Slinker has advanced in the National Merit Scholarship Program to be named a National Merit Finalist.
This recognition requires high test scores as well as grades in the most rigorous classes, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards earned.
National Merit Finalists represent the top 15,000 students in the nation and earn top scholarships at many universities.
It was announced in September 2025 that Carter had achieved semifinalist status.
This is the second year in a row that Webb City has had a National Merit Finalist. Nina Nuygen reachet that height in 2025.
Evan Garrison and Truman Oaks became finalists in 2023.
Webb City graduate Evan Garrison, now an aerospace engineering and mathematics junior is Mississippi State University’s 2026 national finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
Evan Garrison, a Louis A. Hurst Jr. Presidential Scholar, is among the U.S. finalists for the premier graduate scholarship for students pursuing careers in public service. Established by Congress in 1975, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of the nation’s 33rd president by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders.
The Truman Foundation’s Finalist Selection Committee chose 198 students from 136 institutions to interview with the Foundation’s Regional Review Panels between March 2-April 13. Finalists advanced from 781 applications submitted from 305 institutions. Garrison’s interview is scheduled for March 23 in Kansas City.
Garrison, a junior, is a member of MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College minoring in artificial intelligence, political science and global engineering leadership. He is an undergraduate researcher for the university’s applied aerodynamics and aeroacoustics research group and undergraduate research assistant for the university’s Raspet Flight Laboratory. He is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education Student Chapter, and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, while serving as managing editor of MSU’s undergraduate research journal “Endeavors” and external relations chair for the MSU Speech and Debate Council, among other campus leadership roles.
Garrison intends to pursue a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, hoping to bridge the gaps between experts and policymakers to develop pivotal tools that can translate into a sustained program to protect critical space infrastructure.
“Mississippi State has fundamentally shaped both my academic journey and my commitment to public service,” Garrison said. “I have been able to pursue research, internships and leadership opportunities that transformed my trajectory. When I arrived at MSU, research was not a part of my plan, and I did not yet understand what it meant to contribute original work. The investment MSU has made in me expanded what I believed was possible. It has given me the confidence and platform to pursue research seriously and to think about how that work could serve the public.”
David Hoffman, MSU Office of Prestigious External Scholarships director, said Garrison’s active contributions to the university coincide with his career aspirations in public service.
“Evan’s high-end research on tracking orbital debris and keen interest in impacting national and international strategies on this growing issue really made him stand out in the competition thus far,” Hoffman said. “He doesn’t just excel in the lab and academically, he is also committed to serving others via his leadership in numerous activities here at MSU and beyond. Evan really fits what the Truman Scholarship seeks and we are so happy he will be able to represent MSU in his interview next month.”