How the Brooks Scholarship Made a Student’s Dreams Come True

Isabella Jones, former Stokes County senior

For former West Stokes High School Senior Isabella Jones, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarship changed everything.

It was only because she filled out both that she was ultimately able to afford to go to her dream school: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The financial aid opportunities made possible by filling out the FAFSA put college within reach for Jones, but it was only when she found out a few weeks ago that she had also received the Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarship ¬— which also requires a FAFSA — that she realized she had the funding she needed to attend UNC

“I was really excited and then my mind immediately went to ‘I need to call UNC-Chapel Hill,’” she said.

She asked about late enrollment, and they said she could still come. By the time you’re reading this, she will already be in Chapel Hill beginning her next education journey.

Jones credits filling out the FAFSA with letting her know not only what financial aid she would qualify for but also opening the door to other scholarships such as Brooks.

“To even qualify to do that you have to have your FAFSA filled out,” she said. “The FAFSA was a big part of being able to look for scholarships.”

Aubrey Lee Brooks

The Aubrey Lee Brooks scholarship is named for a man born in Person County on May 21, 1871.

Brooks taught in a single room school after graduating high school and saved up money for college. He combined those savings with some funds that he borrowed and used the money to go to UNC-Chapel Hill.

He ultimately went to law school there and became a successful attorney, got involved in state politics, and contributed to a number of causes.

“As a prosecuting attorney for the State and later in private practice at his firm in Greensboro, he was esteemed for his wide-ranging knowledge of the law, his skill as a general practitioner and his abiding belief in justice and fairness,” a handout about the scholarship states.

Brooks died in 1958, but he endowed a trust that funds the scholarship to this day.

The scholarship is specifically for students in Alamance, Bertie, Caswell, Durham, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Orange, Person, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Swain and Warren counties who demonstrate financial need and want to attend NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, or the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. These are the counties surrounding the old Imperial Fifth Congressional District, to which much of Brooks’ career was tied.

Brooks recipients may receive up to $12,000 a year, and they can get additional funding for summer internships, research, or travel abroad, as well as a one-time computer stipend of $2,500.

A Lasting Legacy

“This student embodies the characteristics that were so important to Aubrey Lee Brooks,” said Takeila Hall, an Associate Outreach Director for College for North Carolina (CFNC).

Jones’ story illustrates what Hall is always trying to communicate to students: the importance of the FAFSA.

“FAFSA is the first step in the financial aid process that unlocks opportunities students don’t know they have,” she said. “Without completing the FAFSA, this student may not have become a Brooks Scholarship recipient or ended up going to UNC-Chapel Hill.”

Hall thought Jones’ story was particularly poignant given that she used the scholarship to go to the same college that Brooks himself saved and borrowed to go to. Jones is planning to major in biology, but she is considering going to law school after undergrad, just like Brooks.

It was Jones’ parents who first heard about the importance of filling out the FAFSA from a parent information session at her high school. They sat her down at the kitchen table and helped her fill out the form the day it opened in fall 2025.

“I’m the first child (in my family to go to college), so they didn’t really know how to do the process, but after researching it and figuring out how to do it, it wasn’t too difficult,” Jones said.

In fact, the FAFSA form has been streamlined over the past couple of years, and in most cases can be completed in less than 15 minutes.

“I had no idea there were so many opportunities at the beginning of my school year,” Jones said.

And that lack of knowledge is something that Hall and CFNC.org are constantly trying to address with seniors interested in going to college.

“The message is do the FAFSA, find out the facts, don’t assume that you’re not getting anything,” she said. “People are often surprised to find out how much they qualify for.”

If you want to know more about the Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarship or want to apply, go to the scholarship webpage on CFNC.