Lydia Marie Nelson, also known as “Lyd” on the volleyball court, was born on November 30th, 2007, to Steve and Deb Nelson. Her sisters, Grace and Audrey, love picking on their younger sister, sometimes even saying that she reminds them of Kevin from The Office, even though Lydia does not agree. Lydia has lived on a farm with cows and soybeans in Junius, South Dakota, her entire life. Volleyball runs through her and her family’s veins, and they spend the majority of their time dedicated to the sport.
Lydia is currently interning at the elementary school, hoping to develop skills for her future career. Her favorite part of her internship is when the kids run up to hug her and “light up when they finally find her in the room”. Some of Lydia’s favorites are: the color navy blue, the restaurant El Vaquero, the TV show The Office, the movie Pride and Prejudice, and the book This Woven Kingdom.
When Lydia is not on the volleyball court, she spends her free time reading or sleeping. Lydia recommends reading books and even touching grass because “some people really need it!” If she could be any character in the world, she would want to be the main character from her favorite book series, Alizeh, because “she doesn’t complain and isn’t whiny.” Lydia would also love to live in Greece or Montana because of the breathtaking scenery, and dreams of 5 million dollars to buy land and build a house there. If Lydia could have any superpower in the world, mind control would be her first pick, stemming from her need for control, especially on the volleyball court.
Lydia plans on attending Northern State University in the fall to study elementary education as well as continue her passion in volleyball by playing for the Wolves. In 10 years, Lydia envisions herself sitting under a hammock, reading a book, and snacking on her very own garden-grown raspberries. She hopes to be happily married and in a stable job teaching 1st or 2nd grade, in addition to coaching volleyball at either a high school or club sport level.
Lydia’s advice for underclassmen is to choose empathy over judgement: “You never know what a person is going through.”