The Default Trust Changes give opportunities for some self-made users to become DT1 members.
They are:
#1: iasenko, Date registered: November 07, 2017, 08:39:50 PM
# 2: coinlocket$, Date registered: November 22, 2017, 08:49:45 PM
#3: asche, Date registered: January 04, 2018, 08:00:55 AM
# 4: ICOEthics, Date registered: June 12, 2018, 07:14:43 PM
# 5: Coolcryptovator, Date registered: March 28, 2018, 06:41:03 AM
I only counted cases that were Member and below at the start of merit system.
For the first two cases (iasenko, and coinlocket$), I am not sure that which ranks they have at the start of merit system (due to their registered day in November 2017). Need their help to confirm.

Those case of new DT1 members are very good example that users can rank up with merit system.
More importanly, they can be able to become DT1 members, who got trusts from forum community, and play important role in bitcointalk forum.

From those cases, and from my own experience, I agree with the following statement:
"What does not kill you, will makes you stronger".
Merit system is a challenge, but it has actually made forum users (real ones) become much stronger more than one year after its beginning.

Full list of new DT1 Members (that I used for screening) is there:
The new DT1 list (update on 29/1/2019), by coinlocket$