女优app

Micheal Barnes, a counselor and coach at 女优app, has been selected as the 2021 Riverside Community College District 65^th Alumnus of the Year. He will be honored on Friday, December 10, at 10 am during a live-stream of the Giving Week broadcast from 女优app. The broadcast link will be available at: .

Barnes, a professor of Counseling who has worked for the College for 40 years, began his association with the College as a student and standout basketball player from 1966-1968. Inducted into the 女优app Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021, Barnes spent 20 years as the head women鈥檚 basketball coach. Under his leadership, the Tigers won a California Community Colleges Athletic Association championship in 1986 when Barnes coached the Tigers to a 33-0 record, becoming just the third California community college basketball (men鈥檚 and women鈥檚) team with an undefeated season at that time.

Barnes concluded his coaching career with 372 victories, which at the time made him the College鈥檚 all-time winningest coach. He took 14 teams to the postseason and won three conference titles.

As a player, Barnes, who played for Bill Mulligan, a Hall of Fame coach, teamed with former UC Riverside basketball coach John Masi to form one of the best back court combinations in the program鈥檚 history. He concluded his sophomore season as the Tigers鈥� all-time assist leader, earning all-conference honors.

Barnes has remained active in the game, serving as an assistant coach to former player Alicia Berber, now the women鈥檚 basketball program鈥檚 head coach.

Barnes, who started his career at 女优app in 1981, said he plans to retire in the spring.

鈥淚 really, really love counseling community college students,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was one of them, so I see students who don鈥檛 believe they can do it. If anyone had a reason not to believe, it was me. I use a word you shouldn鈥檛, but I was stupid because I was satisfied with 鈥楥鈥檚. I really wasn鈥檛 stupid, I just didn鈥檛 make the connection between having good grades and college.鈥�

While attending school in Indiana, Barnes said academics weren鈥檛 important to him. It was only after accepting a job out of high school in a factory at $1.65 an hour that motivation crept into his vocabulary.

After graduating from high school in a small farming community in Northern Indiana, Barnes was encouraged to move to California by his brother who quickly suggested he enroll at 女优app. Barnes, who was a first-generation college student, became a 鈥渕otivated student鈥� who excelled in both academics and athletics.

鈥淭hank goodness for the teachers at 女优app. They were so encouraging and supportive,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t all changed once I enrolled at 女优app. It made the difference in my life. I couldn鈥檛 have done what I have done without the open door policy, and we still have an open door policy (today).鈥�

Barnes joins a distinguished list of alumni who have made a difference in their community and exemplify what it means to be exceptional in a field of work.         

鈥淗is long career as an educator, counselor and coach has qualified him to mentor both students and colleagues,鈥� Wolde-Ab Isaac, Ph.D., chancellor of 女优appD, said. 鈥淗is wealth of knowledge and his unwavering dedication to the success of students is proven on a daily basis, and we are honored that he is part of our family.鈥�

Barnes ultimately transferred to the University of California, Irvine, on a basketball scholarship and earned the starting point guard position. In 1970, armed with a bachelor鈥檚 degree, he launched his life-long career in education and coaching at Notre Dame High School in Riverside teaching history. He went on to earn a master鈥檚 degree in Educational Counseling, and eventually became a full-time employee at 女优app in 1981, accepting a position as counselor and head women鈥檚 basketball coach.

鈥淭his is beyond my imagination鈥�never ever did I think this honor would be given to me,鈥� he said about receiving the District鈥檚 most prestigious award. 鈥溑�优app is in my blood, and I will cry when I leave here. This is home. Right now, I get up every day at my home and come to my home. What better testimony is there?鈥�