While at Langston, Miss Barnes was a member of the choir, Dramatics Club, Cheerleading Squad and Dance Group. In all of these activities, whe showed marked talen, serving as soloist for the school choir and winning high honors in dramatics for herself and the school. At North Carolina College (now NC Central), she majored in dramatics and also served as soloist for the college choir. She went on to work with a Greenwich Village group of players where she was an actress and assistant director.