When she moved to Lexington, Nikki Haley was a bookkeeper for her family's business.

She joined the Lexington Chamber of Commerce board and ran for and won a legislative seat and the governor's race against tough odds. Now she is leaving after 2 years as US ambassador to the United Nations.

Tuesday night she accepted the Charlotte Chamber’s 2018 Citizen of the Carolinas award.

“There will always be a part of me that’s in the Carolinas, regardless of where I am,” Haley said.

Haley, 46, in a short speech, touched on her record as a governor who brought the state jobs.

At the United Nations, she said, she brought “Carolina values.”
"I'm confident I'm the first American ambassador to ever say 'Bless your little heart,'" she said, "when I really meant something else."

“For us, standing for what is right even when we are standing alone is a point of pride. It’s what we do,” the Charlotte Observer reported she said. 

Haley offered no hint of what she would do next, though speculation ranges from the pursuit of lucrative business positions to national political office.

She’s been mentioned as a possible 2020 running mate for President Donald Trump should Vice President Mike Pence not run. 

She’s leaving the U.N. with a personal debt of up to $1 million, according to an economic disclosure.

Watch a 3-minute clip of her speech here.