Charleston School of Law student Derrick Hinton has been awarded the Circulo Hispanoamericano de Charleston’s Dr. Carlos F. Salinas Scholarship.

The Scholarship is an annual award named in honor Carlos F. Salinas, a founding member of the Círculo and Honorary Consul of Chile. Salinas was a professor in the field of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and a leading researcher and  renowned for his public service in the Charleston community.

“This award is recognition that the work that I’ve been doing is seen,” said Hinton. “It empowers me to continue going forward and give the best of myself in the community.”

Hinton is the fourth Charleston Law student to be awarded the Scholarship. Previous winners include Evelyn Palomo Siliezar (2011), Norma Barajas and Patricia Rivera (2017), and Hinton (2024).  The Scholarship has been granted since 1993, rotated to students from the College of Charleston, MUSC, The Citadel, Charleston Southern University, Trident Technical College and the Charleston School of Law.

Representatives from each organization attended the event including Dra. María Asunción Cordova-Salinas, from Chile and founding member of Círculo Hispanoamericano de Charleston. In addition, a multicultural representation from four countries were in attendance:

• Asela Laguna (President, Puerto Rico)
• Berenice Marquina (Vice-president, Mexico)
• Celina Anthony (Perú, Board Member and scholarship committee)
• Ruth Mogrovejo (Perú, member)
• Caroline Davila (French-Colombian, member)
• Nancy Betancourt (Treasurer, Colombia)

Hinton is an active member of the Charleston Law community. He is a member of Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) and serves as the president of the Latino/a Law Student Association (LLSA) student organization. The organization is “committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive community for Latino students at Charleston School of Law and sending highly qualified, dedicated, and responsible lawyers into every legal arena.”

LLSA seeks to foster activism in all forms that seeks to improve conditions for the entire Latino population, which is now the nation’s largest minority group.

WHO WE ARE

The Charleston School of Law is an ABA-accredited law school nationally recognized for its student-centric culture. Our faculty and staff are committed to preparing students for success both in the classroom and in the legal profession. Charleston Law is one of only two law schools in South Carolina.

MISSION

• To teach students through a rigorous, skills-based study program;
• To teach the practice of law as a profession, having as its chief aim providing public service;
• To institute and coordinate legal outreach programs to the South Carolina and American Bars, local, state, and federal governments, as well as to the general population; and
• To provide an inclusive, diverse environment in which to encourage and foster collegial, collaborative, and professional relationships among students, faculty, staff, and the community.