Alumna soars from addiction to achieve four college degrees and credits UDC with her success

Alumna soars from addiction to achieve four college degrees and credits UDC with her success

Alumna soars from addiction to achieve four college degrees and credits UDC for her success

Dianne HawkinsDianne Hawkins is quick to tell anyone who will listen that UDC saved her life. She still gets emotional when she shares being at her breaking point coming home from a disappointing job in 2014 and seeing the sign for the University of the District of Columbia when she left the subway.

“I found myself crossing the street and going into the Registrar’s office crying hysterically,” Hawkins said. “An advisor working there told me it would be all right. She took me into her office, and helped me start school at the Community College.”

A self-proclaimed recovering drug and alcohol addict, UDC ended up not only being a place for her to get a fresh start, but after taking remedial classes, she began to excel, becoming a role model to younger students.

“I doubted myself at first,” she said. “I was so excited when I got two A’s, which put me on the dean’s list and then all A’s. I soared from there.”

Hawkins remained on the dean’s list, became student government president for two terms, and graduated magna cum laude with a liberal arts associate degree from UDC Community College in 2016.

She continued to UDC’s Van Ness campus, where she excelled, earning honors, including the Civic Humanitarian Award and recognition for having the highest GPA. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2018. Hawkins went on to get two master’s degrees in social work and another in public health from Howard University in 2021.

Today, she uses her life lessons, remembering the helping hand at UDC, to lift others in her job as an associate clinical social worker on the street medicine team with Lifelong Medical Care in Oakland, California, where she works from a medical care van. A well-equipped clinic on wheels, services provided include wound care, COVID-19 testing, sonograms, medication refills, food distribution and housing information. The company sends out groups of four to serve various zones in Oakland. The population Hawkins’ team encounters include chronically homeless people and some with addiction problems. The team also arranges doctor appointments with Lyft transportation.

When the sizeable blue-and-white van pulls up, her team, which includes social work services from Hawkins, a medical provider, a registered nurse and a community outreach staffer, serves anyone willing to accept help. The team covers West Oakland, with a large homeless population in encampments, cars, trailers and RVs. Hawkins provides therapy on the streets and drug intervention information, sharing her own story when appropriate.

“I love the contributions I’m making,” she said. “This job is a great fit. My coworkers and I bring our best selves every day. I bring my real-life situation to the job. The only difference between me and some of them is that I was not homeless. I decide when to self-disclose. I believe I’m effective because I am authentically me.”

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Hawkins sees her academic redemption as a step toward meeting her mother’s dreams.

“I know that my mother is proud of me. I screwed up my life for 20 years with drugs and alcohol. I spent most of my 20s and 30s partying. I was in my 40s when I realized I wasted many opportunities and needed to change my life,” Hawkins, now 57, said.

Clean since March 28, 2003, Hawkins said her proudest accomplishments are her sobriety, four degrees, following her mother’s footsteps to become a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and her job, which allows her to give back to others.

Please contact UDC’s Counseling and Wellness Center to learn more about resources and support available for drug addiction or mental health issues. For employees, contact the Employee Assistance Program.