Senior Spotlight: Alison Fortenberry (12-2)
Anna O'Neill-Dietel (12-3)
Photo courtesy of Alison Fortenberry (12-1)
What are some of your best memories of high school?
In ninth grade when we won spirit week, that was the only time we won. It felt very triumphant. I also think National History Day during the city competition was a highlight. Everyone who participated got to go to the constitution center, that was pretty fun.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Just having a senior year without college applications hanging over my head. Once I get them finished, I'll be able to enjoy my classes and my clubs without stressors.
You participate in the Ethics Bowl. What is that experience like?
It’s kind of like debate, but it's more of a discussion. We’ll take a topic where there’s not a clear ethical solution, and we talk about the most ethical way to come up with a solution. We qualified for nationals last year, but we weren’t able to go because of COVID-19. This year the Masterman team has ten cases. We have a competition this year in January that we are preparing for. This year, one of the most interesting topics is about the Tiger King Documentary, and how to portray ethically dubious characters in documentaries. It is kind of tricky, because I like the documentary, but maybe they didn’t do the best job of portraying the characters.
What is it like co-leading the Students Against Gun Violence Masterman Chapter?
Eleanor had the idea to start it, and I wanted to support her. Gun violence really is an issue I am passionate about because I have experienced it a lot of it in my life. I never felt like there was an outlet to talk about that or try and combat that at Masterman. It was nice to have that group to obviously work against gun violence and also talk about it.
What was your experience like participating in NHD, and what was your experience like returning to help tenth graders?
It was really stressful leading up to the competition, but then on the competition day it was a lot of fun. I did a website, so I was not stressed the night before, I was stressed the month before. I got third at states. Nia got second, but she couldn’t go to nationals so I went. My website was on the 1967 walkout for black history, and how we have a black history course now. Right now I'm working with the tenth graders and one eleventh grader, so that’s pretty fun. I kinda forgot how much work it was. It’s nice to participate in the project a little bit by reading over work and giving advice, and it’s nice not to have to do all the research again.
What was it like co-creating and co-moderating the Race Forums?
It was definitely difficult, but very rewarding. It was hard to talk about the experiences of racism that Jasmine and I had at Masterman, while we were still attending Masterman. We needed that outlet because for a long time I was pretending like things didn’t bother me because I was afraid that if I were to say something, they would get worse. I think if they didn’t get worse, they got better. It kind of empowered me to speak up if I feel uncomfortable. It was difficult, and it still is difficult to have confronted my teachers and classmates in that way, but it was something I needed to do. Jasmine and I may plan [something] during the school year, but we have a lot going on with our senior classes and college applications.
What are your hopes and dreams after high school?
I don’t know what I want to do as a career, but I want to go to college and learn as much as possible. I like having knowledge, and I want to gain more. I want to be doing something that helps people and helps my community.
Do you have a favorite quote or personal mantra?
When I was younger, sometimes my dad and I would go to McDonald’s after school. He would always tell me to clean up the table after we left because the people that were going out to eat there deserved to have a clean place to eat. I like to apply that to a lot of areas of my life, I feel like the people that come after me in any space I’m in deserve to have a better experience in that space than I did.
If you could add one class to Masterman, what would it be?
I think it would be fun if we had an ethics class. It would be cool to talk about personal beliefs and learn some more philosophy in high school.
If you could give advice to your freshman self, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You can’t do everything on your own, even if you think you can. There are a lot of things I think I would be tempted to change, but if I did change them, I don’t think I’d be where I am.
What is your funniest memory of high school?
Ninth grade, Tatiana Bennet was sitting on a stool in Mr. Perkins’s classroom, and Jasmine accidentally kicked Tatiana's ankle, and Tatiana shouted, “Ahhh, my achilles tendon!” We still laugh about that today.
If you could experience one world from a book or television show, what would it be?
That’s hard because a lot of the things I watch are reality tv, not fiction. It’s not really a fictional world, but I like to watch the reality show Big Brother. I’d be terrified to go onto the show because I don’t want to be watched 24/7, but to experience that would be pretty cool.