CJ Martino

	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

To be 16 in my world is to be caught up and feel like you’re always falling behind. I’m caught between two, three or four worlds, and it’s not just adulthood and childhood. If it were that simple I’d just choose one. It’s between playing catch with my baby brother and studying for the Math SAT II. It might be between whether to spend my money to fit in at school, or to save for the impossibly expensive college education that I so desperately work toward.

To be 16 for me is really all about the future, and where I’m going to be. I must do well on this test tomorrow because it will determine my report card grade, which determines my college acceptance, and determines my first job, which determines my life. I feel like every little decision I make now can affect me for the rest of my life. But 16-year-olds have no pressure on them right? Ha. I’m caught between so many worlds, and that’s why I always feel like I'm falling behind, and being dragged along the whole time.

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