Deirdre Hawkins was born July 16, 1963 in Jacksonville, North Carolina at the Onslow Memorial Hospital. Deirdre is the daughter of Clara Everett Ambrose and the late Nathaniel Ambrose. When Deirdre was young, she along with her family relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina. Deirdre received her education in the Guilford County School System in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended and graduated from Walter Hines Page Senior High School, Class of 1981. Deirdre went on to further her education attending St. Augustine's College where she majored in Criminal Justice, earning her B.A Degree in 1985.