Meyer enjoys bright lights, big cities

By Mallory Stiles
Associate Editor

Sometimes we see a person who presents themselves well, with brushed hair and a crisp collar, and just assume their life is easier somehow. We imagine they glide through life while the rest of us are stuck working for it.

LCC student Nevia Meyer is proof that behind a winning smile can also be very tired hands and an amazing heart.

Meyer, 18, is a human resources major. She is currently taking Composition II, Math 119 and Intro to Sociology for a total of 12 credits, but she also holds down two jobs.

She works part time at Starbucks. She is also employed at Capital Area Community Services as an assistant teacher in the head start program, where she said she enjoys molding young minds, even if in small ways.

“I love working with kids,” Meyer said. “I love to teach them. Their parents are obviously their first teachers, but I am their teacher, too.

“I do daycare, which is before kindergarten, so I get to help them with their letters and spelling. It feels good to know that I just taught someone how to write their name.”

Meyer describes herself as silly and friendly, but also knows how to work hard. She said that is something she learned as a kid.

“Hard work is just showing up to your shift, having a good smile, not sitting on your phone,” Meyer said. “Just working, providing good service, doing what you’re told and what you have been trained to do.

“My work ethic comes from my grandpa; he is a hard worker. He’s been working his whole life. He grew up on a farm and has been doing that since he was a little boy. He went to college and worked full time and never stopped. He is about to be 70 and still working. He always pushed me to work hard … He is a funny guy; we just call him ‘Papa.’”

Meyer is a Lansing native but grew up on her Papa’s farm stories before deciding the country wasn’t for her. She dreams of bigger cities and brighter views, fighting like hell to make more options for herself.

“I was born at Sparrow, here,” Meyer said, gesturing behind her. “Nothing with a cool story behind it, this is home.”

Though she has only ever had a Lansing zip code, she has had many adventures.

“I love Florida, it’s so warm there,” she said. “I have been there twice. I went to Orlando once and loved Orlando Studios. It’s an amusement park so they have roller coasters and water parks. It will take your whole day away.

“I’ve been to New York, too. I like New York a lot. … It’s beautiful, a lot of beautiful views. I just got back from Chicago; I am just more of a city person. I like all the people and the buildings. It’s nice to be surrounded and in the country, you aren’t really surrounded by things.”

Meyer has three brothers who she describes as “sweet boys who treat her like a princess” and parents she loves very much. However, she said, it is her relationship with her grandparents that really fed her spirit over the years.

“My grandparents and I do Ice Cream Sundays every Sunday,” she said. “They just kind of picked me up.”

Meyer’s middle name is Irene after her grandmother, Irene Meyer, who was more than happy to share what makes her granddaughter unique.

“What makes Nevia special is she knows right from wrong,” Irene said. “She doesn’t like to see people treated poorly. She likes to do stuff on her own; very independent.

“She has always been a real sweetheart and we spend a lot of time together. She’s my girl.”

In her spare time Meyer likes to hit the gym with her noise-canceling headphones, cuddle with her rescue Chihuahua mix named “Stoney,” or read from a book that holds all her favorite poems called “The Words I Wish I Said,” by Caitlin Kelly.

Her other preferences include her favorite pair of Converse, a pop band called “Cigarettes After Sex” and watching any movie in the “Scream” series.

“They are my favorite,” Meyer said of the “Scream” movies. “The plots, finding out who is Ghost Face, I love it all. I love guessing who it is and seeing who goes first. I just love it.”

Meyer lives a life full of family, friends and fun, but still relies mainly on herself. She said she knows she is the final decider in her success.

“I influence myself,” Meyer said. “If it’s late at night and I have homework due the next day, I will tell myself I have to do it. I don’t need anyone to tell me what I need to do.”