HISD | Employee News: HISD’s news for district employees

In this week’s I Am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Class of 2014 member Meashell Crosby-Young talks about how she balances sports, service, and studies; why she wears the #5 jersey; and what it was like to become the first athlete crowned “Miss Wheatley.”

You’ve been a starting point guard on the Wheatley High School girls’ basketball team for four years now, since you were just a freshman. How long have you been playing basketball and how did you get to be so good at it?

Meashell Crosby-Young in her role as an athlete...

I started playing basketball when I was just six-years-old. Before my uncle died, he had me practicing every day, running drills. He called me his “little hooper,” and I just continued to practice and play. It’s been a dream of mine ever since he passed.

I hear you’re the first athlete to be crowned “Miss Wheatley”—something girls who play sports aren’t typically interested in. What made you want to pursue that title, and what did winning it mean to you?

Miss Wheatley has been a dream of mine since I was at E. O. Smith Middle School. I used to go to the homecoming games and see how proud Miss Wheatley was to walk across the field. When I said I wanted to run, I was always told I could never do it because I was a basketball player. That made me want it even more, and I was determined to prove everybody wrong.

You’re an honor roll student who also serves as a peer mediator and as the treasurer of the Diamonds of Elegance, both of which involve elements of public service. Why is it so important to you to get involved in these types of activities? And how do you find time to balance them with your studies and athletics?

It’s hard, trying to make sure I get everything done, but I just work hard and do what I have to do. I might have to stay up late to do homework or practice, but I accomplish everything that needs to be done. I got involved with peer mediation because I just like helping people and making a difference, and the Diamonds of Elegance is a sisterhood that teaches us how to give back and be productive young ladies.

Does the number you wear on your jersey (#5) hold any special significance for you?

When I arrived at Wheatley, my first choice was #2, but that was already taken, so I chose #5. There was a girl in my apartment complex who I looked up to, and she was known as “the best hooper at Wheatley.” She wore #5, and I thought, “Well, maybe I can be the ‘next-best hooper at Wheatley,’ and that made my decision easier.”

Your stats indicate you only stand 5’5”, but that doesn’t seem to impede you any on the court. How do you manage to score so many points against girls who are so much taller than you?

The majority of the centers and power forwards are tall, but I’m not intimidated by them. My focus when I step on the court is to be the intimidator. Size is a state of mind.

You’re also active on Wheatley’s volleyball and softball teams. Which one is your favorite sport? And how many hours a week do you have to practice to stay sharp in all of those? Or are all the seasons spaced out enough so you don’t?

...and as "Miss Wheatley"

I really enjoy volleyball and softball, but basketball is what I eat, sleep, and breathe. Basketball playoffs start the same day as my first softball game, so unfortunately, I am going to miss my first game, but my coaches understand and know that once I return, I will give 100% in that sport as well.

You committed to attend Grambling State University this fall on a full scholarship during the district’s National Signing Day activities on Feb. 5. What do you plan to study there? Do you know what you’d like to do for a living yet or are you still considering your options?

I plan to study Computer Information Systems with a minor in engineering, but I’m still undecided about what I would like to do career-wise. There are so many opportunities out there and in time, I will make that decision. But for now, I just know it will be in the computer field.

Your godmother (Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center after-school program coordinator Renecheia Robinson) said that you have overcome some pretty significant challenges in your personal life to get to where you are today. Can I ask what she meant by that? And how did you get past those?

In the past two years, I found out that my mama was not my biological mother, which came as a total shock because she raised me since I was a baby. Unfortunately, my biological parents passed when I was younger. This news would be difficult for any young person to deal with; but I realize that everyone goes through trials and tribulations in their lives. The key is how you handle these situations, because they can either make you or break you. I thank God every day for my mama, brother, sisters, and godmother for supporting and believing in me. That’s why I can hold my head up high and be the strong, intelligent, and confident young lady I am today.