Tyler is five letters. It’s a term for someone who made or laid down tiles. Tyler is a light blue because it matches my calm personality.

Like many other names, there are nicknames for Tyler. Ty, Ty Guy, TJ (J coming from my last name), Tyla, T, and Ty Ty are nicknames that I hear almost everyday from family members, friends, and teachers. These nicknames are fun to say, which relates to the fact that many people find it fun to be around me. 

I do not share the name Tyler with anyone in my family. This is partly because my parents are the first in their families to move to America when they were younger. Because of this the only people with English first names are my siblings, my parents, my aunts and uncles, and me. For those in my family that don’t live in America, they all have Korean first names. My father chose to name me Tyler because he thought that the name represented traits that he had—kindness, fun, intelligence, and hardworking. 

When he was just seven years old, my father’s dad passed away at the age of 42. Since my father’s mother couldn’t raise him on her own, she made the decision to send him away to an orphanage where he was taken to America, and eventually adopted by two loving parents. 

During his early school years in America, he struggled to communicate and write at the level that everyone else in his grade were at. Because he was naturally hard working, he made it one of his goals as a young child to be able to speak English fluently and to excel in school. When he achieved this goal, he was able to go to college where he would later become a successful doctor. 

Hearing his childhood story and seeing how successful he is now shows how hardworking he was. This is also a trait that my father believes Tyler represents. 

I am hardworking in almost all aspects of life because I want to grow up to be successful later in my life just like my father. I am most passionate about working hard in school and sports. However, I am not just hardworking. Just like my father, I too treat others the way I would want to be treated and make new friends almost everyday.

My name is unique in my eyes. If I had the option to change my first name, I wouldn’t because Tyler sounds smooth and looking at each letter in the name is oddly satisfying.