Faced with the reality of rising university and college costs it becomes important for students to take advantage of alternative methods of financial aid such as scholarships.

Before getting in line with thousands of others high school students across the nation applying to scholarships, Brookhaven and Lincoln County have several community organizations offering scholarships to students in the area schools.

“Every little penny counts,” Pat Dow, scholarship chair of the Pike County Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., said. “It’s so expensive to get an education now.”

With tuition, housing and material expenses growing by the hundreds every year, graduating with more than $20,000 in student loan debt has become more usual than unusual. An analysis of data from the National Center for Education Statistics reported in the Wall Street Journal put the class of 2014’s student loan average around $33,000 while reporting that a little over 70 percent of the year’s students receiving bachelor’s degrees having to pay back loans.

The organization Dow belongs to offers several scholarships to students in the five county area the organization’s members hail from: Amite, Pike, Lincoln, Walthall and Wilkinson counties. Dow said one of the group’s focuses is education, which led them to start offering the scholarships.

The chapter offers two types of financial awards, scholarships and book awards. The scholarship award requires high school students to fill out and turn in applications with their school counselors highlighting their academic, extracurricular activities, public service and leadership activities as well as ACT/SAT score and letters of recommendation. Dow said the organization gave out 14 scholarships in 2014 ranging from $250 to $2,000.

The book awards, Dow said, are to help out students who may have not been an A and B student but still posses great potential and deserving qualities. Students who seek to receive a book award from the chapter must also fill out an application but must be nominated by their school counselor as well. The book awards have a GPA requirement of being between 2.5 and 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Dow said the organization gives five book awards yearly of $150.

Dow said all of the organization’s scholarship money is raised from a yearly scholarship gala usually thrown around Valentine’s Day. She said all profits from the gala are given back into the community through the financial awards. Deadline to apply for the scholarships is March 11. Applications can be picked up at each school’s counselor’s office.

Catie Boatwright shares a similar desire to put money back into her community. The scholarship is given in honor of her grandmother, Mrs. Aline May, who taught third grade at Enterprise Attendance Center until retiring in 1993. Boatwright offers $1,000 to a deserving student at the school. The scholarship money is to be paid out over the course of each semester for two years. Boatwright only requires that the student have been a student at EAC since the third grade and the completion of an essay.

“Usually one of them pops out,” Boatwright said about choosing an essay. “If not, then I’ll talk to teachers and counselors to get a feel for each applicant.”

Applications for the Mrs. Aline May Memorial Scholarship can be found in the office of Mrs. Brumfield, counselor for Enterprise. The application’s deadline is April 24.

Also due in April is the Exchange Club Scholarship offered by the Brookhaven Exchange Club. The scholarship awards student $1,000 per year for four years. The club looks at applicants’ service, leadership, community involvement, GPA, ACT score and essay to determine recipients. Applications can be found at each school’s counselor’s office and must be returned by April 1.

Another group offering money is the Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven. Scholarship Chair Glenda Hux said she has always worked closely with the Mississippi Scholars Program to offer scholarships to students in the area. Hux said the organization has restructured their program to ensure the money they give out targets every possible demographic. The organization normally offers three Mississippi Scholars awards but has added a forth this year. For the Mississippi Scholars program they offer the Platinum Crown for $1000, the Gold Crown award for $500, Silver Crown award for $250 and the new Bronze Crown award for $750. Along with these a fifth scholarship will be awarded, the Charter Scholarship. It awards $1500.

JA also awards the Will Valentine Memorial Scholarship for $750 to someone who exemplifies the volunteer spirit of JA and the Diamond Crown award presenting $1,000 to someone who will be a first-generation college student. All JA scholarships are awarded based on financial need, hardship and academic achievement.

Students receiving the Diamond Crown, Charter or Will Valentine Memorial scholarships are not required to be a part of the MS Scholars program. Hux said although they have always been strong supporters of the Mississippi Scholars program the organization chose to add the awards for students who, for whatever reason, were not able to complete the requirements of the program. The deadline to apply for any of the JA scholarships is March 2. Scholarship packets can be found with each school’s counselor.

When seeking to brave the world of financial aid through education institutions, it’s important for each high school student seeking a higher degree to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application is a must-have for those seeking to receive financial aid from their prospective college or university.

On Feb. 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the library of Mississippi School of the Arts, counselors from the Education Services Foundation will be present to help parents and students in the city and county fill out the online application.

Avery Peagler, counselor at MSA, said the assistance that Saturday is by appointment only and anyone interested in setting up an appointment should call the school’s main line 601-823-1300 or call Peagler at 601-823-1307. The service is free to the public.