For Jackie Rouse, a senior at Macomb Senior High School, that belief isn’t just a motto — it’s a way of life. From cross-country meets and theater productions to the ranks of Scouting, Jackie has built a record defined by persistence, leadership, and quiet determination.

Jackie’s connection to Macomb runs deep. Her parents both grew up here and were members of the first class to attend Macomb Junior–Senior High from seventh through twelfth grade. “They’ve lived here their entire lives,” Jackie said. “So me and my brothers were just from here. We were born into it.”

Her brothers, both graduates of Macomb, have charted their own ambitious paths — one completing his master’s degree in higher education administration and the other currently serving with the U.S. Air Force, deployed in Qatar. “I’m really proud of them,” Jackie said. “They’re out there doing things that matter.”

At Macomb High, Jackie stays busy with a long list of activities: cross country, track, theater, speech, band, and color guard, where she recently served as one of three senior captains. She also played clarinet during concert season. “I’ve done just about everything you can do in our theater department,” she said. “I’ve been on stage, I’ve painted sets, run lights, and this year I designed the lobby display for our fall play.”

Her love for theater, she said, comes from the sense of shared purpose it inspires. “Everyone has a job, and if one person doesn’t do theirs, the whole production can fall apart,” Jackie explained. “We actually give out puzzle pieces on opening night. If someone goes above and beyond, you give them your puzzle piece — a silent thank-you that shows they’re an important part of the picture.”

That same respect for teamwork has guided her in sports as well. A distance runner who competes in the 1600 and 3200, Jackie admits she prefers cross country to track. “You’re not running in circles,” she laughed. “Every course is different — the weather, the terrain, even the leaves on the ground. It keeps you guessing.”

But it’s through Scouting that Jackie’s leadership has reached new heights. She recently became the first female Eagle Scout in the Analu District of the Illowa Council, which spans several counties in western Illinois and eastern Iowa. “My brothers both earned their Eagle, so it was always something I wanted to do,” she said. “I grew up in a scouting household.”

When the Boy Scouts of America opened membership to girls in 2019, Jackie — then a sixth grader — joined immediately. “Even before that, I knew I wanted to be an Eagle Scout,” she said. “I told myself I’d do it as a lone scout if I had to.”

Her journey wasn’t easy. Troops formed and disbanded; she even became part of a new all-girls troop based in Bushnell, started by her mother and a family friend. “My mom was our first Scoutmaster, and I was our first Senior Patrol Leader,” Jackie said. “We just figured it out as we went.”

That resilience paid off when she completed her Eagle project: redesigning the landscaping and repainting the parking lot at the Wesley Foundation at Western Illinois University. “They’d never had it painted before,” she said with a laugh. “If people didn’t notice the plants, they definitely noticed the striping.”

Earning the Eagle rank required more than service hours. It meant pushing through high school’s many distractions — sports, classes, friends — all while keeping focus. “You have to really want it,” Jackie said. “A lot of people get close but don’t finish. Life just gets in the way. You have to decide what matters to you.”

Now, as she looks ahead to graduation, Jackie’s dreams are as bold as her achievements. She plans to study engineering, with interests ranging from robotics to animatronics. “I want to either work for NASA on their rovers or rockets,” she said, “or for Disney as an Imagineer. Both would be amazing.”

Her fascination with creation and innovation reflects her broader outlook. “I’m a theater kid who loves the indoors,” she said, smiling, “but I’m also a sports kid who loves the outdoors. Scouting let me bring those two sides together.”

Jackie says her father, Macomb’s Postmaster, often reminds her to pursue what she loves — advice that reinforced her philosophy about staying young at heart. “I talk to adults all the time who say, ‘If I could go back, I’d do something different,’” she said. “So I’ve promised myself I’ll always stay curious, stay playful, and keep learning. Being a kid at heart helps you see possibilities others might miss.”

If she could give advice to her younger self, she said it would be simple: “Keep being you. Stay the course. Don’t let the hard parts scare you away.”

From her first cross-country race to her Eagle Scout ceremony, Jackie has proven that determination and imagination are a powerful combination. “Nothing’s really impossible,” she said. “It just takes someone willing to prove it.”