Jahquan Hawkins

Dean of Student Services, Author & College Success Coach

Oakland Community College

Jahquan (Jawan) Hawkins is a native Detroiter, husband, father and College Success Coach. After struggling as a college student himself, Jahquan has experienced a successful career in higher education and now serves as the Dean of Student Services at Oakland Community College’s Auburn Hills campus.

Jahquan believes in empowering the community by empowering others. In 2011, he and a group of college stakeholders helped establish OCC’s Man Up Program which provides higher education exposure opportunities for young men in Southfield Public Schools. Jahquan is the Co-Director of this dynamic effort which has seen over 300 young men earn transferable college credit as dual enrollees at the OCC.

In 2016, Jahquan published his first book entitled Finding My Way: A Practical Guide to College Success. The text has been adopted by institutions such as the City Colleges of Chicago, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan as a mechanism to help students adjust to the culture of the higher education environment. As a College Success Coach, Jahquan travels the country helping students navigate the higher education environment in route to reaching their personal and educational goals.

In 2019, Jahquan published his second book entitled Donovan’s College Adventure. This children’s book is designed to inspire youth to intentionally pursue their dreams through education. In 2021, Donovan’s College Adventure was the featured book of the Governor’s (MI) Office during National Reading Month.

Jahquan continues to plant seeds of gratitude through his church, fraternity and other community efforts. His message to those who have an ear to listen is simple; “You don’t have to be perfect to be great.”