Student Profile: Daria Nagle

1. What makes your family unique to other families you know?

Well, for starters, we’re all pretty fabulous! We are all so different from each other in so many unique ways!

However, when it comes to being in the kitchen, that’s when it gets fun! Every Thanksgiving, we have our annual pie bake-off. It is so cool seeing all of the creative ideas we’ve come up with.

We all love to try our hand in making meals and desserts or just experimenting with different recipes or something inspired by one of our favorite baking shows.

Only three of us are still living at home: my two brothers and myself. The rest all live out of state with their families.

Even though we live quite a way away from one another, we are still all very close. Distance cannot change that.

We love getting together, even if it means just stopping by for a few minutes to say hello when we’re in town. Dad and Mom always tried to instill a very strong bond with all of us. Let me just say, they did a fabulous job with it!

2. What is an average homeschooling day with Seton like for you?

My usual day starts out at around eight o’clock. I get up and help Mom with a few chores around the house.

Then, I like to go for a jog. When I return home, I usually will start up with Science, my least favorite subject. Then, I like to go into English and Algebra, my two favorites. Usually, I juggle the rest depending on what mood I am in.

As for when the day ends, well, does it ever really? Sometimes, I may just get into the mood to finish a paper at nine at night. Mom is very open to what my brother and I want to do with school, her only stipulation being that we must finish what we have started.

That might entail spending more time working on subjects at certain times, but it is well worth it when you succeed!

3. What’s something you have done that you really enjoyed doing?

I love to write. Ever since I was little, my brother always encouraged me to write something, saying that if I really worked on it, I could easily write something that a publisher would love. Ever since that day, I have been writing devotedly, daily.

I have over twenty filled journals, a million poems, and several short stories. My best friend and I are working on an autobiography together. I am also working on the first draft of a novel.

Another thing I absolutely love to do is when the weather is nice, I love going for long car rides with the windows rolled completely down. It feels so fabulously free!

4. What are your hobbies and interests?

My hobbies would be running, reading, writing, knitting, hairstyling, shopping, memorizing songs, playing the harp and violin (two things I will definitely be devoting more time to!), and playing around with photography.

I’m the person you avoid at parties because in no time at all, I’ll be pulling out a camera and clicking away whether you’re ready or not!

Music has always held a great interest for me. My weakness in particular is country music.

However, I am very open to trying different genres and ages when it comes to music. I’m always looking for new artists to overplay and songs to memorize.

5. What are some things you do as a family and on your own that you particularly enjoy?

My family and I love spending time together, whether we go out somewhere or just stay at home. My brothers and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen together. I do a lot of exercising with one brother.

We love pulling up some intense workouts on YouTube and challenging each other! Another brother and I like to watch crime shows together. I love spending time with my mother, with whom I regularly have long heart-to-hearts while out and about.

While on my own, I love to just have the freedom listen to great country music, something of which my family has heard way too much! Usually I like to do some chores or write in the vicinity of the music.

I never was really too much of a loner, to be honest. Being around people is definitely one of my most favorite things in the world!

6. What do you hope to do in the future?

As much as it seems I really enjoy writing, I would not like to make a career out of it. I actually had an interest in law for a while, but then I also wanted to do something with children, so I seriously considered being a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL).

However, after really talking it over with Mom, we realized that Child Advocacy was something I could really have a passion for. In some respects, it would be similar to being a GAL; however, I would work more to try to keep families together rather than tearing them apart.

Child advocacy refers to a range of individuals, professionals and advocacy organizations who speak out on the best interests of children. An individual or organization engaging in advocacy typically seeks to protect children’s rights which may be abridged or abused in a number of areas.

Statistics show that every five hours, a child dies from neglect or abuse. Those children would have benefited from having a child advocate. In such situations, it usually has to do with a foster child being poorly placed into a home with abusive guardians.

When children are in a broken home, what they really need is someone with a moral compass and a heart. I feel that if I were to do child advocacy, I could help a child physically, mentally, legally and spiritually.

It was actually really crazy recently. Right after Mom and I had a discussion about child advocacy, we went to one of our favorite consignment shops. While there, I found a very beautiful Christian book that really glorified child advocates!

At that moment, I felt that God was speaking to me and that this is what He wants me to do with my life.

It showed what an impact an advocate can have on a child’s well being, and all from a Christian perspective!

Other than that, I would like to give ballroom dancing a try.

I’m just going to live life day to day and let God show me what He plans for my life.

Life is fabulous; live it up as so.