
story by Claire Miller
Cainan Barnes (B.S. ’19, M.S. ’24) knows that academic advisors play a key role in ensuring Georgia State University students are successful while in college.
“In a nutshell, I helped students get from point A to point B in their academic and professional journey,” said Barnes, who served as an academic advisor at Perimeter College’s Dunwoody campus for the last few years. “Whether it’s identifying classes to help them graduate, finding clubs and organizations that pique their interest or transitioning to the Atlanta campus, our role is important to help students as they pursue their goals.”
He also spent two years facilitating a GSU 1010 course designed to introduce freshman to university life. As a first-generation college graduate, Barnes understands how important it is to guide students through the challenges of being a university student.
While he was an academic advisor, Barnes also worked toward a master’s in instructional design and technology in Georgia State’s College of Education & Human Development.
This online program helped him learn more about designing and delivering instruction in various formats, incorporating constructive criticism and developing meaningful content. This year, he completed a project in his eLearning class related to academic advising – a project he presented at a virtual luncheon in the college’s Department of Learning Sciences.
“My project focused on helping create a virtual training solution for onboarding new academic advisors to a school,” he explained. “I focused on the different day-to-day functions that an academic advisor would experience and created different situations for the user to experience.”
Barnes used the University System of Georgia’s Tuition Assistance Program to support his studies while remaining a full-time employee at Georgia State. This allowed him to continue guiding students through their time on campus while working toward a career in instructional design.
His hard work has paid off. Barnes recently accepted a sales training specialist position at Mohawk Industries, a flooring company based in Calhoun, Ga., where he interned during his master’s program.
“Balancing a full-time school schedule and a heavy workload took a lot of work. There were some long nights, but they were worth it,” he said. “I was at a crossroads in my professional career, not knowing what I wanted to do. Coming back to Georgia State as a student and an employee helped me recalibrate and get to where I am today.”