January Alumni of the Month: Audrey Hawkins

DPSF’s January DPS Alumni of the Month is Audrey Hawkins! A Durham native, Audrey is a proud alumna of Southern High School, where she participated in the City of Medicine Academy, played alto saxophone in the marching band, and was crowned Homecoming Queen in 2007.

Audrey now works as a Senior Operations Specialist at Merck, where she also leads the League of Employees of African Descent (LEAD), an Employee Business Resource Group dedicated to strengthening the pipeline of African descent leaders and fostering innovation through cultural insights.

Audrey credits her time in Durham Public Schools with sparking her connection to the community, teaching her the value of service, and helping her build lifelong friendships. She fondly remembers several impactful teachers from her time at Southern, especially Mrs. Perron, who showed unwavering care for her students and supported Audrey in academics and extracurriculars.

Her advice to current DPS students: “Seize every moment, take every opportunity, and don’t be afraid to obtain leadership roles. You miss every shot you don’t take. Lastly, be kind—kindness takes you a long way.”

Read our full interview with Audrey below!

DPSF: Tell us about you - what DPS schools did you attend? What are you doing now? 

Audrey: I'm a Durham native and an alumna of what was previously known as Southern High School where I was a part of the City of Medicine Academy, the Symphonic Soul of the South Marching Band, playing alto saxophone, and serving as the Homecoming Queen in 2007. Currently, I work at Merck as a Senior Operations Specialist and I also serve as the lead for our Employee Business Resource Group called the League of Employees of African Descent (LEAD) where our mission is to increase and strengthen the pipeline of leaders of African descent and leverage the collective cultural insights from members to drive innovation.

DPSF: What does DPS or your school community mean to you? How has it helped shape you into who you are today?

Audrey: Being a product of Durham Public Schools means a lot to me. It's what has started my connection to the community. As a junior at Southern, I became a member of Theta Phi Delta Sorority, Inc. where we performed several acts of community service that cultivated my understanding of the need for pouring into my community. Growing up in DPS has also afforded me the opportunity to network and build lifelong friendships with so many successful peers who are also alumni of DPS. 

DPSF: What’s your favorite memory from your time at DPS?

Audrey: There were SO MANY memories! But one of my favorite memories is marching band. In particular, our band joined forces with Hillside High School's marching band forming a community band and we played against a band from New York known as the Brooklyn Steppers. It was exhilarating and a great time to be in the marching band!

DPSF: Is there a teacher who influenced you most along the way? What's their name and how did they make a difference?

Audrey: We had several great teachers at Southern while I was there. They really cared about us and made sure we achieved our goals – so much so that it's very difficult to come up with just one. But I will say there was one teacher in particular that was really impactful, not only in the way she helped me, but I watched how she treated other students, and THAT is what made the most impact on me. And that teacher was Mrs. Perron. She showed that she cared. She checked in with me, connected me and my family, supported me with my extracurricular activities, and made sure I excelled in my academia. She was truly a gem. 

DPSF: What’s one piece of advice you would give to current DPS students?

Audrey: If I had one piece of advice, I would say to seize every moment, take every opportunity, and don't be afraid to obtain leadership roles, you miss every shot you don't take. Lastly, be kind. Kindness takes you a long way. "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"- Maya Angelou

Are you interested in becoming a DPS Alumni of the Month? Find more information here: https://www.bullcityschools.org/alumni