Dominique Douglas has always made good grades, so it’s little surprise to anyone that she is the salutatorian of the Class of 2021.
Except maybe to her. “I was surprised,” she said.
“I was extremely surprised and overjoyed. People would say Dominique is going to be at the top of her class. I thought that would be cool, but I never thought that I would actually get there.”
Yet, here she is. She credits her rise to the top to studying, some natural ability and a desire for good grades.
“I’m a bit of a perfectionist,” she said. “I wanted 100s.”
Dominique has attended Wylie since kindergarten. When she isn’t studying, she’s crocheting, or reading, or playing the violin. She is also in the Wylie choir and has been since 6th grade.
“I just love to sing,” she said. “I like all the classical choral music that we sing. I’ve always liked music and singing.”
Dominique plans to attend ACU next fall and be a pre-vet major.
“I want to be a vet,” she said. “I haven’t decided which kinds of animals yet. I’m kind of leaning toward big animals. I’ve always loved science and biology, and I love animals. I knew I wanted to at least major in biology.”
She hasn’t decided if she will continue choir while at ACU. Dominique said she recently started taking violin lessons and might want to participate in an orchestra.
“I’ve always wanted to play an instrument,” she said. “I love the violin, and I love the music. I only actually started last year, so I’m not there yet, but eventually I want to join an orchestra.”
She said she chose ACU because it is close to home and to her parents, Scott & Karen Douglas. Her mother works at ACU, and her sister Brianna is a junior at ACU.
“That’s a big plus,” she said. “I’m not ready to leave home yet. Moving away would be a big leap. Plus, ACU is just a great college.”
She said she and her sister get along great, and they already have experience sharing a campus. Dominique was a freshman during her sister’s senior year at Wylie.
“Everyone would mistake me for her and her for me,” Dominique said. “Even during my sophomore year I still answered to Brianna.”
Dominique said she has enjoyed the experience of being Wylie’s salutatorian.
“It’s a great honor,” she said. “It’s really cool being one of the Top Two.”
By Candy Reagan