Cape Central High School junior earns perfect 36 on ACT

Cape Girardeau Central High School junior Emma McDougal recently earned a perfect score on the ACT — a major achievement, and all the more impressive because she hadn’t taken specific ACT preparation classes.

“I think it’s one last thing to be concerned about because, as a junior, you’re concerned with picking colleges and choosing career paths,” McDougal said.

McDougal credited her rigorous curriculum at CHS with preparing her for the ACT — AP courses, she said, although she couldn’t fit the ACT preparatory course offered at CHS into her schedule.

“I think in general, a lot of rigorous English curriculum is going to help, because reading is just really important,” McDougal said, adding she’s been a lifelong, voracious reader.

Being able to read and synthesize information is important on the test, she noted.

Advanced math courses have also given her training she cited as “helpful.”

As to whether she’s narrowed down her university choices yet, McDougal said, “I’m really not sure yet. I haven’t decided exactly what majors I’ll be going after, so until I start figuring out career paths and majors, I’m keeping my options pretty open.”

What comes next? Continuing to prepare for collegiate-level courses, she said.

McDougal said one of her teachers at Alma Schrader Elementary, Leslie Wright-Essner, was a key inspirational figure for her.

“She told me, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you to dumb yourself down. Don’t feel like you need to fit in, because your potential is more important than fitting in with your peers,’” McDougal said, “and I’ve tried to stick to that, because I think it really is important to be who you are and go after what you want, even if that doesn’t align with the standards of your peers or the people around you.”

McDougal said she’s had many other wonderful classroom teachers, and said she’s been well supported by staff and faculty of Cape Girardeau’s public schools.

“I think that’s been really beneficial to me,” she said.

McDougal said her parents, Scott and Amanda McDougal, have been tremendous in their support of her ambitions — especially when it meant advocating for her, making reading a priority, and shuttling her to various extracurricular activities, before she got her driver’s license.

“I’ve always been very, very supported by my parents,” she said. “I think that they’ve instilled a love for education. From a young age, I remember reading with my parents. I think that they’ve really contributed to my success.”

She’s involved in many extracurricular activities, including CHS’ Beta Club, the theater program — mainly in lighting design and stage management, she said, although she has acted previously — service activities, the mock trial team, Model United Nations, an environmental club, Scholar Bowl, assisting with orientation and giving school tours.

She’s also a violist for the school’s orchestra.

“Scheduling gets problematic,” she said.

But she has a lot of interests, she said.

“I think that being able to communicate in an efficient and effective manner is really important,” McDougal said, noting she would love to be able to combine some or all of her different passions into a career. “That would be fulfilling for my different abilities because it takes unique skills, and I want to do something that’s going to use mine to the best of my abilities.”