History 2 Opportunity

In today’s blog post, we will get to hear from Douglass Alumni. I had the pleasure of having a 13-question interview with Evelyn Basoria. The interview consisted of questions ranging from her experience at Douglass, to what she is doing now.  

Let's see the interview! 

Question: Were you a student at Douglass your Freshman through Senior year of high school? 

Answer: "No, sadly I did not get the pleasure of starting my freshman year at Douglass. I began my junior year and finished my senior year, walking across the stage in May." 

Question: What year did you graduate? 

Answer: "I graduated in May of 2025." 

Question: What are you currently doing now? 

Answer: "I am currently a student at the 4-year Central Methodist University majoring in Education." 

Question: Did you participate in any clubs, sports, or activities? 

Answer: "I was an avid participant in Book club, run by our librarian Ms. Jessi for 2 years." 

Question: Did you know what you wanted to be/do when you graduated high school? 

Answer: "I knew that I wanted to go to college to get a degree in education to become a high school history teacher, but I was not sure if I would be successful or not." 

Question: How did Douglass help prepare you for adulthood/working full-time? 

Answer: "Douglass helped me prepare to move on to adulthood and work by teaching me a variety of information that I would need to successfully move on to the next step after high school." 

Question: What is something you miss about Frederick Douglass high school? 

Answer: "The one thing that I miss about Douglass is all the great friendships and connections that I had with my friends and the teachers and how I could see and talk to them every day." 

Question: What advice would you give future or current students based on your experiences? 
 

Answer: "A piece of advice I would give to future or current students at Douglass is to slow down and life in the moment, people get so caught up in what the future will be like that they don’t see that some of the best memories and relationships you will have in your life are happening in the present. I also think that people should take the classes that challenge them; these classes could help you so much if you chose to go on to college." 

Question: Would you feel confident in your future child’s education if they went to Douglass? 

Answer: "I would be very confident in my future children’s education if they went to Douglass, as the teachers hold you to a high standard and challenge you while also being very understanding and helpful at the same time." 

Question: What is something you would like to see happening at Douglass that is not? 

Answer: "Something that I think would be great for Douglass to have is more classes or opportunities given to the students that will challenge them, some of the most useful things that I know is become of the college prep classes that I took. I think that if more students were open to these kinds of classes and took them, the more prepared they would be for life after high school. Not only did they prepare me for the kind of assignments and materials that I would see in college, but they help me to see how much more I get out of classes like working on a deadline or asking for help. I think these classes would help many students feel ready to move on and be more successful in life rather than choose to go to college or move on to work after high school." 

Question: What is one of your favorite memories of your high school experience at Frederick Douglass Highschool? 

Answer: "I have so many amazing memories during my time at Douglass. A few that I often still think about would have to be the Mock Trial field trips, the camping trips, and the everyday conversations and times that I was able to spend with my favorite people there." 

Question: Were there any teachers or staff that helped shape your experiences.  

Answer: "If you know me, then you know that there were many teachers that helped shape my experience at Douglass just as much as they helped shape the person I am beyond school. A few names would be Ms. Ford, Ms. Parker, Mrs. Booth, Mr. Evan, Mr. Bohle, Ms. Haines, and of course Ms. Karen and Ms. Jessi. This group of amazing people helped shape my experience in a good way by being welcoming, kind, understanding, and making school something to look forward to. They helped me accomplish many challenging things. Their kindness is still remembered even after leaving Douglass. Some of these teachers are still helpful in shaping my college even after high school; they put in the effort to reach out and check-in to see how classes are going and how I am doing. Having that has really helped with the transition from leaving high school and moving on to college."