Didi Hawkins

Director

shawki06@calpoly.edu

WORK CELL Phone: (805) 503-0525

OFFICE PHONE: (805) 756-5128

Didi Hawkins (she/they) is the Director of Upward Bound. She is originally from Fresno, California and holds a B.S. in Kinesiology and an M.A. in Kinesiology – Sport Psychology, both from Fresno State. Didi has worked in Higher Education since 2004, working with student affairs, community programs, and campus recreation at Ithaca College, San Jose State, Cuesta College, and Cal Poly. She has also taught as a lecturer at Fresno State, Ithaca College, and San Jose State University, and was the first person in the world to teach Aquatics for Children with Challenges (ATRI) Instructor Training for college credit.

Didi is a living kidney donor and is passionate about advocating for organ, blood, and tissue donation. She gives back to the San Luis Obispo community as a volunteer first responder. In her free time, she enjoys training for and competing in triathlons. She has completed 27 so far, including an IRONMAN in October 2022. She was also a silver and gold medalist at the 2022 Transplant Games of America.

Jessica Lerena Zarate

Program Coordinator

JLERENAZ@CALPOLY.EDU

WORK CELL Phone:(805)503-8272

OFFICE PHONE:(805)756-5108

I am a first-generation college student who started my educational journey at Allan Hancock College, transferred to Cal Poly SLO, and earned a B.A in Sociology with a concentration in Social Services. As a high school student, I had the opportunity to be a part of Upward Bound, which greatly impacted my development. Throughout my time in college, I had the opportunity to work with students of all ages, and this experience helped me realize how much I enjoy working with high school students. Having gone through similar challenges as these students, I am passionate about helping them navigate and overcome these obstacles and help them achieve their academic and personal goals! I love what Upward Bound stands for, and being part of the program is incredibly rewarding.