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Wlaf1450CCHS’s Peyton Carroll receives full scholarship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT
A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.
By Charlotte Underwood
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- Campbell County High School Senior Peyton Carroll is “marking a milestone for the school district and the county” with a full scholarship to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Peyton received the news on December 1st in an official letter from QuestBridge that he had “matched” and was accepted by his chosen school of MIT and that he would receive a full scholarship.
QuestBridge is a “nonprofit organization that connects high-achieving, low-income high school students with leading colleges and universities. It offers programs like the National College Match, which helps students apply for full, four-year scholarships to partner schools. These scholarships typically have no parental contributions or student loans but may include student work study or savings.”
Only students who have “demonstrated high academic achievement and who are involved in their community through various activities, including paid work and family responsibilities, can qualify for the program.”
The application process is a “rigorous one and is incredibly hard”.
“That’s why a lot of students do not do it, it’s rigorous, there are so many steps, and the writing is very hard, with a lot of deadlines to meet,” said CCHS Post Secondary Coordinator Monica Bane.
This year, there were 7,500 students who applied through QuestBridge and out of that number, 2,250 kids matched and were chosen for scholarships.
For Peyton, QuestBridge represented a way into his chosen school, MIT, that otherwise financially would not have been an option. Tuition is $85,000 a year at MIT, and the scholarship covers travel as well, with the full scholarship value of around $400,000.
Campbell County Director of Schools Jennifer Fields came to the high school on Tuesday, joining CCHS Principal Ben Foust, CCHS Advanced Placement Liaison Ann Browning, Monica Bane, along with CCHS Advanced Placement teachers Lisa Copeland and Monte Copeland on Dec. 2nd to congratulate Peyton on the acceptance letter and scholarship.
“This is a milestone for our district, it is a milestone for Campbell County High School to be accepted into MIT, but especially on a full scholarship, it is something that many students nationwide never get to experience or accomplish,” Director Fields said.
According to Peyton, the program that he got admitted through at MIT, admits less than 100 students a year out of the whole nation and that he was still in disbelief that he had been accepted.
Director Fields thanked those that “had a hand” in helping Peyton along the way.
“You all are the ones who see potential in students, and you don’t just let it fall by the wayside, you go above and beyond,” Director Fields said.
“He made us do it, he said this is what I want to do, he advocated for himself and has done an amazing job,” Browning said.
Monica Bane complimented Mrs. Browning, saying she had “worked tirelessly to help guide him and direct him and to create opportunities and he has 100 percent followed through,” Bane said.
“It’s been a fun ride … there has been no blood, but there has been sweat and tears,” Browning said to Peyton.
“You are a true example of what hard work, dedication and focus will do and more than anything, you are a wonderful example to other students as to what dreaming big and working hard will allow you to achieve and I am so proud of you,” Director Fields said.
Peyton said the training he received at CCHS, especially through the AP Capstone Program, helped prepare him to apply for MIT.
In his own words, the AP Capstone Program gives “kids higher level research skills and the ability to understand research on a really high level, that you are not typically exposed to at a high school level.”
The Capstone Program was started by CCHS English Teacher Lisa Copeland around three years ago. Peyton Carroll took the AP Research class in his junior year at CCHS.
Back in October, Peyton was selected for a “fly-in program” where they fly students up to MIT in Boston for a visit. Mrs. Browning went along with him.
“You get to stay with someone in your selected major for two days and you kind of get an experience of what MIT life is like,” Peyton said. His selected major is Aero Space Engineer.
“I want to do something with defense or planes to start and eventually, my goal is to eventually work for F1 and be an engineer for F1 cars and design the aero dynamics of F1 cars,” Peyton said. This has been his dream since the 7th grade and something he has always known he wanted to do.
“You have put so much thought into what you want and that makes you stand out – you have been intentional, you have been focused, you have been driven,” Director Fields said.
He was quite the “networker” during his October “fly-in” visit to MIT.
“He shook everyone’s hand, introduced himself and said if you read an essay about fishing, that’s me, so he put himself out there,” Browning said of Peyton’s visit in October.
According to Peyton, AP classes and his many mentors at CCHS have helped him prepare for his future, both academic and in life. When he graduates at the end of this school year, he will have a whopping 14 AP classes “under his belt.”
Peyton gives a lot of credit for his success to AP instructor Lisa Copeland. Mrs. Copeland said Peyton had earned this opportunity through dedication and hard work.
“It’s a great opportunity for Peyton, he has been very dedicated, always putting his education first, seeking out these opportunities so I am just so excited for him to finally get to realize all that hard work that he has put into his education,” Copeland said.
“Getting into MIT is a huge accomplishment. It is more than just getting a scholarship, it is more than just getting to go to college, it is getting to further your education with some of the top minds of this country and explore different perspectives and different ideas and be with like-minded people who are at the top of their classes from every state in the country. He’s going to make connections and network with people he would never get that opportunity to do if he just stayed in Tennessee, this is an outstanding opportunity,” Mrs. Copeland said.
“He’s been great helping us here at the high school, tutoring kids in Calculus and Algebra,” said CCHS Principal Ben Foust. Peyton said he put that on his application to MIT.
Browning said that credit also goes to Peyton’s mom AJ Bulla for also making sure Peyton had opportunities.
“When he came here as a freshman, she was worried about moving him from Clinton and changing schools, but she said she feels it was the best thing and she felt like almost divine intervention because we had the things that he needed here that we offered those programs. I want to give a shout out to her as a parent because I am sure it would have been easier to rely on Peyton to take care of littler kids at home, but she told me the first time we ever met when he was a freshman that she did not want him to work as a freshman during the school year, that she wanted him to focus on academics because he had these big goals and she wanted to support that. I feel like as a mom, she has done everything to support him,” Browning said.
Peyton said that he could not have done it without his support team of his mom and everyone at the high school that had a hand in helping him, especially Ann Browning and Lisa Copeland, and Monica Bane.
“I am very very thankful for all of you, this isn’t a me thing, it’s a we thing,” Peyton said to his supporters.
Peyton is slated to start classes at MIT in August, though he said he is looking into starting summer classes in June through a summer program.
He heads back to Boston in April for a “Campus Preview Weekend” event.
A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.
For bookings, email Olivia Lobertini at ohlobertini03@gmail.com. Check on avails HERE. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-12/08/2025-6AM)