Kristy Michelle Hawkins (born August 28, 1980) is an American powerlifter and

chemical engineer In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...

, and former professional

female bodybuilder Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

Early life and education

Kristy Hawkins was born and raised in

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and county seat of Gregg County, Texas, Gregg County; a small part of Longview extends into the western portion of neighboring Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County. Longview is located in East Tex ...

in 1980. In 1994, she started attending Longview High School. In 1998, she graduated from high school and started attending

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

that same year. She earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials in ...

from

in 2002, graduating ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' and with University and Foundation Honors. She earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...

in Chemical Engineering at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

(Caltech) in 2005. She graduated from Caltech in 2008 with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.Kristy Hawkins Director of yeast engineering at Lygos
/ref>Kristy Hawkins Facebook
/ref>

Career in chemical/biological engineering

In 1999, Hawkins worked as an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...

for the Eastman Chemical Company and from 2000 to 2002 she worked again as an intern for the Solutia Inc. From November 2008 to August 8, 2013, she moved to

Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 a ...

where she got a job as scientist for metabolic engineering of

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungus microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been o ...

Amyris Inc. ''Amyris'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word αμ ('), which means "intensely scented" and refers to the strong odor of the resin. Members of the genus are commonl ...

Starting August 19, 2013, she worked as director of yeast engineering for the company Lygos. She has since left Lygos and co-founded a chemical engineering company called Antheia.

Bodybuilding

Amateur

Hawkins has described herself as having been very heavy in elementary school. She took dance lessons and became a twirler, but says that she wasn't active enough and didn't have proper eating habits. She suffered from

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by underweight, low weight, Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thi ...

, which led her to starve herself. She eventually got into the gym to burn calories. At first she started with cardio and then weight training. At the age of 15 years, she got her own gym membership and went every day after school and work. The owners were hosting a competition and taught her the basics of training, nutrition, and posing. At the age of 17, she traveled with some people from her gym to Mississippi for an ANPPC show and placed 3rd in the novice women’s short class. She twice placed in the top four at the NPC Nationals. In November 2007, she won the light-heavyweight and overall at the NPC Nationals and received her IFBB pro card.

Professional

After turning professional, she attended her first professional competition, the 2008 Ms. International, where she placed 14th. In 2009, she attended her first Ms. Olympia, which she placed 7th. When training and competing specifically for bodybuilding, she consumed 2,500–3,000 calories a day and her contest weight was around 140 pounds and roughly 165 pounds when off season. Hawkins says that she didn't really track her body-fat numbers, but mostly just went by how she looked.

Contest history

*1998 ANPPC Mississippi Open - 3rd (Novice Women Short Class) *1998 AAU Mr/Mrs Southwest America - 1st (Novice Women Medium Class) and Best Poser *1999 AAU Mr/Mrs Southwest America - 1st (Open Women Short Class) and Best Poser *2000 ANPPC Southwest USA Natural Bodybuilding Championships - 3rd (Novice Women Short Class) *2002 NPC Michigan Championships - 1st (LW) *2002 NPC Pittsburgh Open - 3rd (LW) *2003 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic - 1st (MW) *2003 NPC Pittsburgh Open -1st (MW & Overall) *2003 NPC Lone Star Classic - 1st (HW & Overall) *2003 NPC Jr. Nationals - 4th (MW) *2004 NPC Jr. Nationals - 5th (LHW) *2004 IFBB North Americans - 4th (LHW) *2005 NPC Nationals - 4th (LHW) *2006 NPC Nationals - 3rd (LHW) *2007 NPC Nationals - 1st (LHW & Overall) *2008 IFBB Ms. International - 14th *2009 IFBB Atlantic City Pro - 2nd *2009 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 7th *2010 IFBB New York Pro - 10thKristy Hawkins
/ref>
/ref>

Powerlifting

In 2011, Hawkins stepped away from professional bodybuilding and has successfully stepped into the realm of powerlifting, while maintaining a "bodybuilder" type look to her physique. She has stated that when she was just starting this sport she managed to squat 400 pounds.

World records

Competition history

Personal life

Hawkins is an

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficie ...

. She was for a time in a serious relationship with bodybuilder

Branden Ray Branden may refer to: * Branden (given name) * Branden (surname) Branden is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Barbara Branden (1929–2013), Canadian writer, editor and lecturer * Mikael Branden (born 1959), former Swedish ba ...

, but is now single. She currently lives in

.Article: What's it like being a female bodybuilder? By Gene X Hwang
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Kristy 1980 births American agnostics American female bodybuilders American women scientists California Institute of Technology alumni Living people People from Longview, Texas Texas A&M University alumni People from Emeryville, California Sportspeople from Texas Sportspeople from California 21st-century American women