Madison Hinkle
WVU College of Law Class of 2022
Photo by WVU College of Law .
KRISTEN UPPERCUE
MADISON HINKLE , a community advocate at the Mountain Watershed Association , is a tenth-generation West Virginian — her family has been living here since before it was even a state . This sparked her passion to serve the Mountain State and its people in her career .
“ I always tell people that I have two true passions : the planet and the state of West Virginia ,” Hinkle says . “ It ’ s hard to explain that feeling you get in your chest when you know you love something and you ’ re truly passionate about it , but anytime I think of this state and its people , I get that feeling .”
Hinkle was born in Ranson , WV , and grew up in Shenandoah Junction . She attended West Virginia University ( WVU ), where she received a bachelor ’ s degree in biology in 2019 with minors in psychology and business administration .
Hinkle then attended WVU College of Law , where she graduated with a concentration in energy and sustainable
development law in 2022 — taking every environmental law course she could during her time at the school . Hinkle was recognized at graduation for obtaining the Pro Bono Distinction , Community Service Honors and 3L Legacy Award , which is awarded to a third-year student who leaves a lasting legacy at the WVU College of Law .
“ Being a student at the WVU College of Law was an amazing experience ,” Hinkle says . “ I feel really blessed that I was able to attend one of the top public service schools in the country , and it was extremely evident that so many of my classmates were pursuing a legal education so that they could help better the lives of others and their communities .”
Hinkle says the most challenging aspect of law school was attending during the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ The pandemic struck during my second semester of law school ,” she says . “ It made it challenging to feel as connected to my peers and the classes , but I was lucky to have some stellar professors that made the change easier to handle .”
While in law school , Hinkle served as president of the Environmental Law Society , president of the West Virginia Fund for Law in the Public Interest , executive editor of Volume 124 of the West Virginia Law Review and secretary for the Energy Law Association . She was also involved with the Public Interest Advocates , served as the student representative on the Faculty Sustainability Subcommittee and was a student clinician in the WVU Land Use and
Sustainable Development Clinic . She also volunteered with Friends of Deckers Creek and received a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Energy Law .
“ I saw extracurriculars in law school as a way to not only become closer with my classmates and make connections with students interested in similar things to me , but I saw it as a way to get more of a first-hand experience with the type of law and the types of people I would one day be engaged with ,” she says . “ Community service projects , guest speakers and actual legal assignments , when it came to the clinic , helped solidify my knowledge that I wanted to practice environmental law and engage with community members to make them feel heard and empowered .”
Hinkle previously worked with the Appalachian Citizens ’ Law Center in Whitesburg , KY , the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and as a research assistant to two of her professors .
In her role as a community advocate with the Mountain Watershed Association , a nonprofit in Melcroft , PA , she is dedicated to the protection and preservation of clean water in the Youghiogheny River watershed .
“ I ’ m really looking forward to engaging with community members and helping fulfill the mission of the organization ,” she says . “ From my first day of law school , it was my dream to practice nonprofit environmental law , and I ’ m ecstatic that I am going to be able to do this kind of work in an area so close to home .” •
126
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE