Over the course of the past few weeks, many cabinet announcements have surged through the mainstream media only to die down a few hours later. Perhaps the appointment that received the least attention -- and arguably the one that deserved the most coverage -- was the nomination of South Carolina Governor Nikki R. Haley to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations. Haley has been the rising star of the conservative movement since 2010, and she seems poised to be heir apparent of the right wing. Haley’s gubernatorial tenure has been plagued with numerous tragedies and disasters, but the steadfast governor has persevered and overcome every obstacle that has been thrown at her. With an approval rating above 80 percent and a new position guaranteed to give her the foreign policy experience necessary to eventually run for the oval office, it’s clear the only direction for Nikki Haley to go is up. And up she shall go.

However, before she continues her rapid ascension up the chain of command, here are the main things you need to know about Nikki Haley:

She is the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded her every day how blessed she was to live in this country.

During her campaigns, Haley always makes sure to include this statement. Her story is the true embodiment of the triumph of the American dream and the American spirit. Her parents came to the United States with exactly $8 in their pockets in search of better opportunities for their children. Nimrata, the third of four children, was born in Bamberg, South Carolina on January 20, 1972. I do not believe it’s a coincidence that her birthday falls on Inauguration Day. She has been known as "Nikki" her entire life. Governor Haley's Indian Sikh heritage is very important to her. Despite converting to Christianity and adhering to a Christian lifestyle since college, she is very proud of her upbringing. Detractors have tried to use her assimilation against her, and she has even been called “a conservative with a tan.” Haley believes very strongly in legal immigration, but staunchly opposes anyone entering and remaining in the United States illegally.

She renamed her husband.

Clemson Freshman Nikki Haley stole the heart of Bill Haley quite effortlessly, but he was still interested in another girl as well. After hanging out a few times and capturing his interest, she informed young Bill that she was not interested in dating anyone who was pursuing other girls. Bill got the message. Not long into their lengthy courtship, which totaled seven years, Nikki asked Bill for his full name. When she found out his middle name was Michael, she decided that was more fitting. He has been Michael Haley ever since.

She holds an undefeated electoral record.

This one is fairly self-explanatory. She has run two successful campaigns for governor in addition to a successful campaign for the South Carolina state House.

She unseated the longest-serving member of the South Carolina legislature.

When she decided to run for state House, Nikki Haley did so under the assumption that Representative Larry Koon would be retiring from serving her district. Koon did not, but Haley had already declared herself in the race. She fought an uphill campaigning battle throughout the entire primary. She faced attacks against her religious affiliation, ethnicity, political leanings, etc. An underdog who did not seem to stand a snowball’s chance in a South Carolina summer, Haley did not know what to do. All she knew was that losing was not an option.

She buckled down and sold campaign signs to make money instead of traditionally giving them away. She forced herself out of her comfort zone at every opportunity. She met with Larry Koon’s notable cousin and told him the platform on which she was running. He could not believe her audacity, but she believed he at least needed to know who he was voting against before making a decision. After finishing her speech, she told him she needed a donation for her campaign. He gave it to her. She then asked him to display a “Haley for House” sign in his yard. He put it next to his much larger Koon campaign sign, which left Nikki somewhat discouraged at first. She’d felt led to talk with this man and she really thought she’d gotten to him, but he still had the Koon sign. After she forced the race to a runoff, though, the gentleman only displayed the Haley sign. On voting day, she noticed people winking at her after shaking Larry Koon’s hand at the polling station. She ended up victorious in her freshman campaign and has not lost a race since.

She fought for on the record voting in South Carolina.

While in the legislature, Haley spearheaded a campaign for on the record voting. South Carolina operated with a good ole boy mentality and legislators could vote on anything -- including the budget -- with no real accountability. Haley ardently believed it was the right of constituents to know how their representation was voting, so she wrote a bill requiring votes to be on the record. The Speaker strongly opposed her. He had her and her closest allies removed from their committees in an attempt to stop them in their quest. In the end, on the record voting was one of the first policies Haley got to sign into law upon becoming governor.

She announced jobs in every single county of South Carolina during her tenure as governor.

Governor Haley has always been economically minded. She began keeping the books for her mother’s business at thirteen, and she majored in business at Clemson. A fierce advocate for fiscal responsibility and a harsh critic of unions and regulations, Haley has officially brought jobs to every single county of her state during her time as governor. Haley chooses to refer to bringing jobs as “announcing” rather than “creating” because of her belief that a government official cannot create jobs. They can create the environment wherein jobs thrive and flourish, but the actual creation of jobs themselves must come from businesses and entrepreneurs. Governor Haley has created and maintained an environment that has led to immense job creation and economic stimulation over the past six years.

She didn’t know her party affiliation until adulthood.

Unlike many famous politicians, Haley’s loyalties do not lie with a particular party so much as her personal beliefs and convictions. All of her beliefs and convictions just happen to be extremely conservative. Prior to deciding she must run for office to help better the business and economic climate in South Carolina, Haley did not even know her party affiliation. After being quizzed by a colleague about her feelings on key issues, Haley was informed that she was very, very Republican. She considers herself a conservative more so than a Republican, much like Vice President-elect Mike Pence and many leading members of the GOP.

Her husband, Michael, is a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Michael Haley has an extremely interesting life story. His wife attributes her steadfast pro-life viewpoint to his upbringing and time spent in the foster care system. Michael has served as his wife’s rock throughout her career, and he gets to call her not only his spouse but also his commander in chief. Michael was deployed in 2012 to Afghanistan with a unit tasked with precluding the opium trade by helping farms grow crops other than poppies. His nickname during deployment was FGOSC, a reference to FLOTUS.

She is constantly reminded that she is a mother first and public servant second.

No matter how important Nikki Haley becomes, her husband and children will always come first. The night before her first inauguration as governor, her daughter, Rena, was very sick with the Flu. Despite battling an ear infection herself and needing to prepare for the ceremony, Haley had to take care of her ailing daughter, and was reminded by the situation of where her priorities will always lie. After becoming governor and relocating her family to the Governor’s Mansion, Haley hosted dinner for members of the legislature one night. She was horrified to find a Hannah Montana wig had been placed on a historic bust of a previous governor, and some of her colleagues failed to see the humor in her children’s antics. Nikki Haley understands that kids will be kids, and that her first duty is always to her own children.

She once openly took on Barack Obama and compared the spending of the federal government to shopping at Best Buy.

At a summit for incoming governors not long after her election in 2010, Haley brazenly asked President Obama if he would consider repealing Obamacare after informing him that South Carolina simply could not afford it. Of course, the president said no. Later in the evening, Governor Haley posed another question, this time about money the citizens of South Carolina had paid to the Yucca Mountain program which had recently been shut down. She asked if the president planned to reopen Yucca Mountain. When he said he did not, Governor Haley responded candidly with, “Then give us our money back.” When the president’s office contacted her later about the ordeal and claimed South Carolinian taxpayers could not have their money back because the federal government needed it for other expenditures, Governor Haley informed them that when she goes to Best Buy and pays for something, if she does not receive that item, she gets her money back. The comparison was lost on the Obama Administration, much like the taxpayers’ money, but it’s still awesome that the governor was so bold and straightforward.

She offered to personally help the government balance its budget and find the funds to keep the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility open and operational.

Again, Governor Haley was insanely bold and straightforward. She testified before a congressional committee about the absurdity of the Obama administration’s haste and reasoning for trying to close Gitmo. She adamantly opposed the proposed plan of relocating the remaining detainees to Charleston or any other American city and pledged to stand in solidarity with any governor trying to prevent a similar circumstance. When informed that it would save the federal government some money to close the facility, Governor Haley responded that in the South, states actually balance their budgets, and she would be happy to help the federal government do the same in order to find the funds to keep the detention center.

She was able to put policy above personality, but that does not mean she won’t hold Trump accountable.

A vocal critic of Trump early-on, Haley put policy and party ahead of herself and pledged to Donald Trump once he became the Republican nominee. She made it clear where she stood on the presidential candidate, and now that she will serve in his cabinet, we can all rest easy knowing she will remain steadfast in her conviction and will hold him accountable.

She is extremely optimistic and hopeful.

One of the most endearing and enduring things about Haley is her jovial nature. She proclaims every day a great day in South Carolina. She frequently begins speeches or signings by imploring people to “Get excited!” She plays the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” as her hype song for bill signings and other events. Despite great opposition, Haley has maintained her natural optimism and faith in the goodness of Americans.

Nikki Haley has had an exceptional career, and she is only getting started. I sincerely hope to see her name on a presidential ticket in the next few years. Until then, we are truly blessed to have someone with her unrelenting conviction, unwavering commitment and unyielding conservatism in the American political realm. She will serve us well as Ambassador to the U.N. just as she has served the people of South Carolina well over the past six years. Get excited, America!