VANESSE BARNES, TUFTS UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL COACH

Vanese Barnes was a multi-sport star at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay. First-team All-Conference in Maine High School Soccer and honorable mention in basketball. Captain of both teams, she had a lot of options.

“I was trying to figure out school and I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Barnes said. “I was looking at all these big schools and then I started to come down earth and realize a small school would be best for me to learn about myself and what I wanted. SMCC became a last-minute choice, but ultimately it was the best choice I could have made.”

Barnes said she immediately found herself part of a family. “We get to know so many people, from advisors to teachers and within the athletics teams. SMCC clearly had a strong culture that had built an incredible sense of community.”

Barnes spent two years playing basketball for the SeaWolves. A tenacious guard, the two-year starter captained the team in her sophomore campaign and made back-to-back United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Tournament appearances.

Barnes graduated from SMCC with her education degree before transferring to Saint Joseph’s College. After graduating from Saint Joe’s with her Early Education degree, Barnes returned to SMCC to become an assistant women’s basketball team coach.

Barnes took her passions to Tufts University, where she is currently the Women’s Basketball Athletics Future Leaders Fellowship Assistant Coach. As part of this two-year program, Barnes will pursue a master’s degree in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership within the Tufts Graduate School of Arts & Sciences while serving as a graduate assistant coach for the Jumbo women’s basketball team.

Barnes just completed her first season as Jumbos assistant coach, where Tufts won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship and reached the NCAA Division III Elite 8. That road started at SMCC.

“I’m thankful for my time at SMCC,” Barnes said. “As a student, athlete and coach, everyone I’ve met at SMCC has been super helpful along my journey. The community built at SMCC really set me up for success, and for that, I’m forever grateful.”

Justin Flores

Cardiovascular Technologist

Justin Flores was struggling to find his path. He tried college at one school and realized it wasn’t for him. After working at different jobs around Southern Maine, Justin was sitting at the kitchen table with him mother, looking for something new. She read a job description for a cardiovascular technologist and it caught his attention in a big way.