Meredith-Leigh Pleasants

	In their own words, 16-year-olds discuss the pressures of getting into college, dating, blogging and more 16 by 16 • Ari Rubin • Carlyle Manns • Caroline Cox-Orrell • Chelsey Knight • Janelle Norman • Meredith-Leigh Pleasants • Tia Whipple • Kelvin Bates • Lisa Bunn • Shukan Patel • Lina Li • Stephen Serene • Jullia Park • Patty Yau • Ana Baric • CJ Martino Getting A Head Start • The New World of Internships Those unpaid summer jobs are no longer for rich kids, college juniors—or even just for summer Multimedia • Sixteen Candles Inside a Sweet 16 Party

It is quite a challenge being a student athlete at this age. Many games last until the late hours; win or lose, you still have to go home and study for the three tests you have tomorrow, and hopefully none of your friends will call to tell you about the new rumor about you.

Being 16 is also about finding yourself. You’re picking classes that can determine which college you get into and that can potentially determine your future. Then you get your license and get your first taste of independence. It’s an adventure. I love being 16, though — beginning adulthood but still being a kid. The best part about being 16 is growing up and finding yourself, discovering your likes and dislikes for the future. I enjoy the opportunity I have to play sports and choose my classes. The one hard thing about being 16 is there is a lot of pressure to make difficult decisions. Pressure from friends, family, teachers and coaches can be overwhelming at times. Pressure to pick certain colleges, make certain grades, wear particular clothes and hang out with certain people. Everyone around me pressures me one way or another.

My life is always on go, go, go crazy. I am constantly out playing a sport or studying or doing homework or out with friends. There is very little downtime, since I play three seasons that overlap. The first day cross-country is over, basketball begins; then, the last day of basketball, soccer begins. Trying to maintain a high GPA is a workout just by itself. Sometimes it drives me into crash mode. Crash mode is when I take a weekend or a day and refuse to do anything except eat, sleep and watch TV. It's great until Monday comes and it's back to the go-go-go again. It's not so bad though; being preoccupied with sports and school means I stay out of trouble and make good decisions, and it makes for a nice college resume. I love being 16 and the go-go-go balancing act; it's a fun challenge and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Meredith-Leigh Pleasants is a student athlete at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City, North Carolina, a small rural town located in the center of the state.

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