For Brian DeLesline, it all started in Mr. Vella’s seventh-grade English class.
That was when the Baptist Hill student first began to see teaching as not just a potential occupation, but something he truly felt called to do. At the time, he was too shy to tell his teacher, Daniel Vella, that the class had inspired him to something bigger. But that nugget of realization remained with DeLesline through the remainder of middle and high school, and over time it was sharpened into something very specific.
He didn’t just want to teach. He wanted to teach kids like himself, at the same school he had come from. He wanted to teach at Baptist Hill.
“A lot of teaching itself comes from the relationships that you have with the students,” said DeLesline, who now teaches 9th, 10th- and 12th-grade English at Baptist Hill. “Allowing them to see that you came from where they came from, or that you dealt with similar things that they dealt with—that does a lot of the work for you. So when you do integrate the teaching aspect, it’s easier to bridge those gaps, because the students see that you came from that same area and from a similar upbringing.”
DeLesline’s return to his alma mater was aided by a scholarship from Coastal Community Foundation, which awards millions of dollars in grants and scholarships each year. DeLesline earned one of the most prestigious awards—in 2016 he was named a Pinckney Scholar, a program established in memory of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, one of nine people killed in the Emanuel AME Church massacre in downtown Charleston in 2015. The program promotes access to higher education for Black students from Beaufort, Charleston and Jasper counties, and awards $10,000 scholarships that are renewable each year the criteria are met.
“I applied for the scholarship my senior year of high school with the help of my guidance counselor and my mom, who was very supportive in trying to find scholarship money,” DeLesline said. “Because my family didn’t necessarily have the funds to be able to pay out-of-pocket for education.”
The Pinckney Scholars criteria is demanding—it includes (but is not limited to) satisfactory participation in and completion of the College Readiness Program, substantial financial need, academic performance and letters of recommendation. Candidates conduct in-person interviews with the selection committee, and DeLesline knew things were serious when he saw former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley—one of the committee members—sitting at the table when he walked in for his interview.
“The interview process was both very enlightening and shocking,” DeLesline said. “Having former Mayor Riley as part of my interview committee, that added some pressure onto it as well. I don’t even remember exactly what I said in the interview, but hopefully it was something of worth. I was definitely surprised when I got it.”
The Pinckney Scholars program helped DeLesline pay for four years of undergraduate education at Charleston Southern University, where in 2020 he graduated summa cum laude with an English degree. He went on to pursue a master’s in educational administration at Liberty University, which he completed in August. Without the scholarship funds from Coastal Community Foundation, reaching those milestones would have been far more difficult. Pinckney Scholars also receive mentoring and professional training overseen by the foundation’s in-house scholarship specialist, Caroline Rakar, all of which can pay dividends for recipients well after their college days are over.
“Monetarily, of course, it definitely played an integral part. But then there are also the connections I’ve made as a Pinckney Scholar that would not have been a possibility otherwise,” said DeLesline, who also met his wife Carmen through the program. “The people that I’ve been able to meet, the opportunities I’ve been able to partake in, the support system that I’ve received—it’s all definitely impacted me in a positive way. It’s so much more than just the monetary value.”
Coastal Community Foundation, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024, has awarded over $8 million in scholarships since it was formed in 1974. Anonymous donors came together in the aftermath of the Emanuel AME massacre to fund the Pinckney Scholars program, named in honor of the Mother Emanuel pastor and state Senator. DeLesline well understands the gravity of receiving a scholarship in Pinckney’s name, and continues the late reverend’s legacy of service in his own way ay Baptist Hill.
“In life in general, I believe we’re called to serve. And I believe that biblically as well, that God has put us here to serve some sort of purpose,” he said. “So especially with Rev. Pinckney’s background being in the spiritual realm, it’s an honor to be recognized as a Clementa Pinkney Scholar. One of the things that he really embodies is that idea of serving others, and being of service to those around him. Our reputation is something that is remembered—it’s our legacy once we leave Earth. So just to have his legacy and reputation essentially living and breathing while he’s no longer here physically, it’s inspiring. You wish to have a legacy, or leave an impact, or be of service in that regard.”
