Michelle Burns is a senior guard and team captain for the women’s basketball team from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and she has played a prominent role for the Pioneers during her time at Point Park.

Burns is majoring in Economics and Finance and will be graduating in the Spring 2021 semester. She also serves as a math and economics tutor for the university and is president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.

Outside of school, Burns participates in many hobbies and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

“When I’m not engaged with activities from school, basketball, or work, I really just enjoy spending time with my friends and family,” Burns said. “I love trying new places to eat. I enjoy being outside in the warm weather and traveling, especially to the beach. Additionally, I actually have recently been introduced to golf, so I was trying that out a good bit in the summer.”

Burns attended Hempfield High school, located 40 minutes east of Downtown Pittsburgh. Coming out of high school, she was ranked 37th among all-female guards in Pennsylvania.

Burns made the playoffs with her high school team all four years, reaching the 4A title game during her freshman year.

This season, Burns has clocked in 78 minutes on the court so far and is shooting at 37.5 percent going 15 for 40 from the field. Over the past four years of her collegiate career, she averaged 31.2 minutes a game shooting 37 percent or 407-1099 in total.

In the Pioneer’s first game of the season, Burns and the squad suffered a loss against Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo 92-83. Burns scored 17 points in the final three quarters. In the second game this season, the Pioneers trumped Bryant & Stratton-Rochester 94-91 in overtime. Burns led the team in points, scoring 24 points, dishing out 7 assists, and gathering 6 rebounds.

“The first win of the season feels great, we really needed a win before conference play and although the score was a little too close we still pulled it off and it was truly a team effort,” Burns said after the game. “We never gave up, even when the game did not seem to be in our favor. Ultimately, that’s what I love about this team.”

Burns and the Pioneers are away at the University of Rio Grande on Dec. 12, their last game of 2020 until their game at Indiana University Southeast on Jan. 7, 2021.

In terms of life after college, Burns has a couple of avenues of opportunity.

“This past summer I interned at Pfizer, biopharmaceutical company, in their benefits department which opened up a lot of opportunities for my professional future,” Burns said. “I am hopeful that I can find a position with their firm when I graduate or enter into a consulting position with another company.”

Despite her initial collegiate play coming to an end, Burns said there is a possibility of her making an appearance back on the court for the Pioneers in the future.

“We have been granted an extra year of eligibility, so I will be able to play the following year and pursue my masters if I choose to do so,” Burns said. “I haven’t decided if I will stay an extra year or go into the workforce, but I’m taking it day by day and seeing where life takes me.”