AlumNow: Lincoln Grad Found Inspiration From Childhood Educators

When Lincoln alum Carlesa Dixon (Class of 1999) thought about naming her daughter, one name came to mind—Alanna. It was the name of her favorite teacher who taught her second grade at CharlesRiceLearningCenter.

Today, Dixon is the girls head basketball coach at her high school alma mater. As coach, Dixon herself is the inspiration for many students she works with.

She’s currently the head girls basketball coach at LincolnHigh School where she also teaches health.

Growing up her favorite teacher was my second-grade teacher Alanna Arenivs at CharlesRiceLearningCenter. She was so loving, patient, and cool.  She named her daughter after her. “I was blessed with the opportunity to grow under the leadership of the late Dr. Napoleon B. Lewis, who instilled the value of hard work and discipline and always striving for excellence in everything I do. I have taken that with me everywhere, and I try to pass it along to the students I encounter on an everyday basis.” “The best advice that I could give to students today would be to take advantage of every opportunity they are given to learn something new, and to persevere through the difficult times.  I want them to dream big and go for whatever it is that they believe in.”

Ms. Dixon graduated from University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Wichita State University, B.S. in criminal justice (2013); currently pursuing her masters in sports education at Concordia University.