S-I-E-R-R-A. At home I am Sissy and to close friends I am Cece. But at school I am just Sierra. I loved my name as a kid and would write it as big and bright as I could at the top of every one of my papers. Hearing kids yell it across the playground always put a smile on my face. My name matched my mood which is lighthearted and happy. The name Sierra reminded me of a sunflower, something that once you see it, can make your whole day better. All throughout elementary school I carried the name with such pride but as most things do, my love for the name changed in middle school. 

Everywhere I walked the infamous “1 2 step” by Ciara followed. Questions like “Sierra, like the mist? Are you from Sierra Nevada? Do you drive a GMC?” were something I started hearing everyday. Suddenly I was not so proud of my name. Hearing the teacher call my name during roll was something that I was now ashamed of. 

Unlike my first name I could not change my last name. My last name would follow me everywhere until I got married, but at least there was hope that one day it could change. When I was little, I remember my best friend and I used to go to Starbucks, and when they would ask for our names she would say her name was Soraya, and I would say my name was Mackenzie. Mackenzie was such a beautiful name, I could imagine it being the name of a princess. A long pretty name like Mackenzie would do me much better that Sierra.

I remember crying to my mom complaining about why would she give me such an ugly and simple name like Sierra. She told me a long story about a little girl she grew up with whose name was Sierra. All the girls wanted to be friends with her and everyone just absolutely loved her name. All the teachers would call her name and tell her what a unique and beautiful name it was. I loved the story but it never fully changed how I felt about my name.

After my mom passed, that story she told me all those years ago is something that I think about constantly. It almost makes me feel as though Sierra is the name my mom gave me because it is who she wanted me to become. I love my name, the bright yellow Sunflower in a patch of white daisies, the happiest of moods on a gloomy day. S-I-E-R-R-A  a name I will forever cherish.