By Elizabeth Lewis
Taking a college class at age 14 is not a common experience. Neither is writing that first play at age 5.
However, BYU students Paula Pasternak and Ariel Wambaugh are not common.
Pasternak and Wambaugh defied normality, taking on adult responsibilities and achieving their dreams at an early age.
Many consider the premise daunting or even unreasonable. They look back on completing these feats as an essential part of their personas.
Pasternak, a senior from Connecticut majoring in physical education teaching, admits her experiences did not fit the description of 'age-appropriate.' Yet she appreciates their value and said they made her the person she is today.
Pasternak''s mother enrolled her in a Spanish class at a community college at age 14. Afterward, she continued taking college classes. Pasternak said she did not miss anything from not attending high school.
Pasternak represents a growing trend of students starting college and tackling adult responsibilities before society deems the time frame 'normal.'
'I think some people are worried that when they start things earlier they are robbing themselves of their younger years,' said Sarah Chamberlin, a junior from Trabuco Canyon, Calif., majoring in public relations who took her first college class at age 16. 'I didn''t feel that way at all. I fit in fine and I felt like I was meant to be there, that it was the right time.'
Pasternak said not attending high school allowed her to do more.
'I was able to travel more and bring my studies with me,' she said. 'I was able to associate with a wider spectrum of age groups because of this. I still got asked to proms and school dances. It didn''t handicap me socially at all. I got a lot of the same experiences without all the crap.'
Pasternak''s other endeavors include placing second in the National Paint Horse Association Halter Competition with her horse, Spot, at age 14. She started her first job as a nanny at 12, beginning a series of jobs that would give the precocious teenager experience for entering the world.
'I was making more money than anyone my age,' she said.
After working as a nanny, Pasternak''s jobs progressed to working in daycare, landscaping, managing horses at a farm and working as a preparatory cook and manager at a country club.
Pasternak entered BYU as a freshman at age 16.
'Going to community college was weirder than coming to BYU,' she said. 'I had a 28-year-old ask me out when I was 14! I didn''t have any problems here. Socially there weren''t any issues.'
Pasternak expressed nothing but thanks for the experiences some might consider too demanding or mature for a teenager.
'I owe it all to my parents,' she said. 'They helped me to be self-reliant and realize that I could do things on my own.'
Despite undergoing many pivotal moments at a younger age, Pasternak said she waited until she was 16 to date.
'What is weird is when guys would tell me I have every quality they want in a wife,' she said. 'But then I''d say, ''Except I''m 16.'''
Pasternak, now 19, is marrying this August. Again, she said she feels ready to take on new responsibilities and does not think she is passing up other opportunities.
'I''ve had fun,' she said. 'I''ve led the life of a 21-year-old for a long time now. When I look back, I realize I''ve accomplished a ton.'
Despite the fulfilling experiences thus far in her life, she still admits it is bizarre to think she was a freshman in college when other people her age were freshmen in high school.
Wambaugh, a junior from Penn Valley, Calif., majoring in archaeology, shares Pasternak''s affinity for experiencing great things at a young age.
She started writing full-length stories at age 5.
The Performing Arts Club recently used her script for the production 'White Nights,' an adaptation of the story by Dostoevsky. Wambaugh also directed the play.
She said age never mattered when it came to pursuing her dreams. Wambaugh reminisced about reading Seventeen Magazine when she was younger and seeing people who had accomplished great things at a young age.
'They were talking about this girl who was 19 who had written some things and was now a playwright,' she said. 'I really just didn''t think I''d have the opportunity to do that. And now, boom, here it is. I''m only 18 years old, and I have my own play.'
Wambaugh saw her works first published at age 13 by an Internet entity. She said it was not a major publishing company and it did not put her works on bookshelves, but it gave her the right to call herself published.
She identifies this as an essential start to impress people and have one''s work taken seriously.
'The only way that you can get your name out there is by getting it out there yourself,' she said. 'Don''t expect anybody else to do it. Be your own agent. Don''t expect people to look for you, because they''re not going to. There''s too many people out there.'
Increasing market appeal and making one''s compositions sound more attractive increases one''s work ethic, Wambaugh said.
'You have to feel confident in yourself before you can expect other people to,' she said.
Wambaugh also stressed stepping outside of one''s comfort zone.
'I started getting doubts,' she said. 'I thought, the Performing Arts Club is not going to like this. I was just a little kid when I wrote it. But then I realized, it''s well-written. It doesn''t matter if I was 15; they don''t need to know. I turned it in and they said, ''This is really good.'''
Generally, Pasternak and Wambaugh said their experiences have been positive. However, the road they traveled early to maturity was not always smooth.
'Leaving family that young was the hardest part,' Pasternak said. 'I didn''t want people to know how old I was. It was kind of surreal.'