Sixteen-year-old Mary Payton Pendergrass, or as many refer to her as M.P., is a junior this year and is currently in her third semester of the West Wind. Pendergrass was born and raised in Ocean Isle Beach and loves being by the beach.
“I love being just a ten minute drive from the beach,” said Pendergrass. “I couldn’t imagine not being able to go to the beach whenever I want to. I wish everyone had the chance that others in Brunswick county do.”
When Pendergrass is not at the beach, she enjoys many other activities such as soccer, hanging out with friends, exploring new things, working and journalism.
Pendergrass found her interest in journalism due to her pause in soccer after tearing her ACL at the end of her freshman year. Despite the setback she took the challenge with an open mind and tried this new interest of journalism.
“It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to push through,” Pendergrass said. “I’ve played soccer since I was four, so having to take a step back and not be able to play for a year was really hard, but it also opened my eyes up to new possibilities and hobbies.”
Since Pendergrass was sideline, she decided to pick up a camera and began to take photos of athletic events. Even making her own social media accounts (@shotswithmp) and gaining some followers on there.
“Taking pictures is lots of fun,” said Pendergrass. “It’s not a skill I’m fantastic at, but something I more so just picked up for fun but I really enjoy it and hope it is something I can get better at.”
When Pendergrass is not playing soccer or doing photography, she often is doing other events around the school, from DECA to Juniorettes. In DECA, Pendergrass runs the social media pages as VP of Marketing, while in Juniorettes she is VP of Leadership in which she helps plan events and make this new club run as smooth as possible.
“I like staying busy,” said Pendergrass. “I think staying involved, interacting with others, and helping people is so important and a lot of fun.”
While Pendergrass does not have an exact plan for her future, she would wish to attend UNC Chapel Hill and pursue something in sports. From sports media, journalism, sideline or community work, Pendergrass wishes to work on or near a sports environment when she is older. This is another reason she’s so excited about the class this year as she is the co-sports editor.
“Sports have always been something that interests me,” Pendergrass said. “I have always played sports, from soccer, dance, softball, lacrosse, volleyball, and more. The idea of just being a competitive athlete and having a built in family of teammates is always something I find interesting. Playing sports over time I feel like I’ve developed a strong sense of the game and a pretty decent sports IQ as well.”
Pendergrass is excited to be in her third semester and is looking forward to learning new things, helping others, and sharing her love for journalism throughout the class, school, and community.
“I can’t wait to see what this year has in store,” Pendergrass said. “I think it is going to be a really great year and we’re going to have lots of fun!”
