Meet Arleigh-Elizabeth Nace! Arleigh has been a Her Campus member for four years and she has loved every minute of it! Arleigh is a double major: Secondary English Education and also Special Education. Arleigh is a Senior and will be graduating at the end of the Fall 2018 semester.
Through the years Arleigh has gained many mantras and sayings that help her get through the day:
- “She believed she could, so she did” ~ Unknown Author
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“Only I can change my life, no one can do it for me” ~ Carol Burnett
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“If it’s not okay then it’s not the end” ~ Unknown Author
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“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly” ~ Unknown Author
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“What if it’s not everything that I dreamed it would be?” ~ Rapunzel “It will be.” ~ Flynn “And what if it is? Then what do I do?” ~ Rapunzel “Well, that’s the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.” ~ Flynn
Mantras and sayings are not the only things that help Arleigh get through tough days. Arleigh has many people in her life that inspire her and help her along the way. Some people that inspire Arleigh are her family members, boyfriend, best friend and also her professors. As a way to keep this interview shorter, in the paragraphs below are the reasons for why her family inspires her.
The first person that inspires Arleigh the most is her mom, Tonya. Out of everyone in the entire world, her mom inspires her the most because she is the definition of a Fighter. All of Arleigh’s life she watched as her mother would be in and out of the hospital and every single time, she watched her come home and stay as positive as she possibly could. When Arleigh was six-years old her mom had a brain aneurysm and, even though Arleigh was so young, she remembers the struggle it was for her mom to re-learn everything she had, not too long ago, taught Arleigh herself. Experiencing her mom re-learn how to walk is the most influential moment of Arleigh’s life. Arleigh stated that her mom “never gives up when a health challenge faces her. She faces it, does what she needs to do and keeps moving forward.” She also stated that, “With everything I have been through in my life, watching my mom not giving up helped me to not give up as well. She is the definition of a true fighter and she means the world to me. I would not be who I am today without her and I thank God everyday for allowing her to stay on Earth with me and my family.”
The second person that inspires Arleigh is her father, David. Her father taught her many things in life: the definition of hard work, strength (mental and physical), love and pride. Her dad taught her the definition of hard work by constantly working as hard as he could in order to provide the family with everything they needed. At one point, her dad even worked three jobs and Arleigh always knows that he will do whatever it takes to take care of their family. He taught her strength, both mental and physical, as well. He taught her mental strength by trying his hardest to keep all the pieces together, even when his wife (Arleigh’s mom) was in and out of the hospital. Her dad taught her love not only because he is her father but also because all of Arleigh’s life she witnessed what a healthy marriage is supposed to look like. Every single time her mom would be in the hospital, her dad would be by her side. “I truly believe that my dad would try to move a mountain for my mom, if she needed him to. If he tried his absolute hardest and still was not able to move that mountain, my dad would then pick up a shovel and dig his way through that mountain. He would do anything for her and that is very inspiring to me.”
The next few people that inspires Arleigh are her siblings: Amber, Ashley, Abram and Josh. Amber, her eldest sister, inspires her because she is one of the reasons Arleigh is who she is. Amber practically raised her while her mom was in and out of the hospital. Even to this day Amber is like a second mom to her. Arleigh goes to her for advice, support and inspiration. Amber is inspiring because “she is so intelligent, she takes care of my family and she always knows what to do in a tough situation. If she does not know what to do in that situation right away, she will do whatever it takes to figure that out. Amber is hard working and never gives up.” Her other sibling, Ashley, inspires her because she is also hard working and takes pride in her job. A key aspect that Ashley inspires her in is she neverending strive to achieve all of her dreams. “Ashley has taught me the true definition of hope and has, unknowingly, helped keep my faith in God going strong and I firmly believe that, someday, she will definitely achieve every single one of her dreams. She deserves it and I hope she never forgets that.” Ashley was one of her first best friends growing up and she helped influence Arleigh’s love for photography, country music and chocolate milk. Her brother, Abram, inspires her because he taught her to not let anyone’s opinions define her. He taught her to not care what other people think about her and showed her that, even during our darkest times, family will always be right beside you to help pick you back up. Her other brother, Josh, taught her to have fun. Josh was adopted into her family when she was fifteen-years old and she has many memories with him (especially in the Walmart parking lot of their hometown). Josh taught her to be fiercely defensive of her family members and to not take everything so seriously.
“Without my family I don’t know where I would be. I owe them the entire world and they mean everything to me. Family is something you should never take for granted. It is also important to remember that family is not only blood relatives – sometimes you must create your own family and that is perfectly okay. Family is anyone who you love, they love you and you know that you would do anything for each other. For example, my best friend, Olivia, is part of my family. Olivia has been my best friend for ten years now and I would do my best to move any mountain for her or, just like my dad, if I could not move that mountain, I would take a shovel and dig my way through. I would do anything for my best friend and I really hope that she truly, deeply knows that. Family is when you truly know that you would do anything for them – that is my definition of Family” ~ Arleigh-Elizabeth.
*Pictures courtesy of Pinterest and Arleigh-Elizabeth Nace.