Nali Milne

Chicken. This was Peyton Moon’s response when asked: how would you describe Nali in one word? This was likely due to the fact Nali was eating chicken during the time of the interview, however, Nali is anything but chicken. On the surface, Nali is a typical high school student. She loves soccer, the ocean, and is a parallel parking prodigy. Ever since early childhood Nali has fearlessly tackled life, living each moment as fully as possible. “If I’m off soccer practice and I’m walking to my car and there’s a really pretty sunset I’ll take a minute, look at the sunset, think about the moment, and try to freeze it in my mind. I do that every moment I can. And I always try to see the good in people.” 

But what caused this desire to live each day like it’s her last? Though Nali’s life is full of friends, family, and soccer practice almost every day, life hasn’t always been easy. When she was five, her paternal grandfather passed away. It was a tragedy that changed the way she thinks about her own life. “It was kind of a shock because he died so young, and ever since I was a really young child I’ve been really scared about dying and death.” When asked how this fear affects her, she responded, “I get like, so much pressure put on me to enjoy every moment of it that sometimes I think that I can’t enjoy it enough because I’m so worried about enjoying it.” Nali knows life is fleeting and can be taken away in an instant. But this hasn’t caused her to live any less fully; quite the opposite.