Local high school seniors and parents gathered at MUNA Federal Credit Union Thursday evening as the banking institution awarded scholarships to help students continue their education.

Five students were awarded scholarships of $1,000 and an additional six students received honorable mention scholarships of $250 each.

“We at MUNA are honored to recognize the exceptional achievements of our talented young scholars,” Richelle Putnam, a member of the MUNA board, said. “This evening, we celebrate the hard work, the dedication and the brilliance of our scholarship applicants.”

Each applicant had to submit an essay detailing what they have done to give back to their communities, Putnam said, that was judged by a panel of three judges. This year’s essays were particularly difficult for judges to select winners, she said.

“Each of the essays that we received offered unique perspectives and profound insights, evidence of the intellectual depth of our community’s youth,” she said. “The judges had a challenging task of evaluating these essays based on the specific criteria to determine the most deserving recipients.”

The five recipients of the $1,000 MUNA scholarships include Jasmine Moore, who graduated from Northeast High School, Brittani Houston and Taleah Anderson, graduates of Meridian High School, Sariyah Coleman, a graduate of Oxford High School, and Jett Calvert, a graduate of West Lauderdale High School.

Calvert, who plans to attend Delta State University to pursue a career in aviation, said he was honored and grateful to be awarded the MUNA scholarship. More comfortable with math and science than writing, he credited his senior year teacher at West Lauderdale for pushing him to become a stronger writer, which paid off when writing the scholarship essay.

Students receiving honorable mention scholarships include:

— Ahmyir Brown of West Lauderdale High School.

— Emmanuel Shemar Cistrunk of Meridian High School.

— Macey Irby of Northeast Lauderdale High School.

— Samiya Lewis of Meridian High School.

— Sequoia Norman of Meridian High School.

— Frank Taylor III of Summerville High School.

Judges for the scholarships were Kate Cherry, Marty McIntyre and Ida Bea Tomlin.