People have Called My by Different Versions of My Name

When i was Younger, i learned Quickly that My name was complicated – Not just for oters, but my Dominican Parents.

My full name is shaleigh severino (pronounced “shay-lee se-oe-no”), and throughout my life, it has Become a puzzle People Prefer to Simplify Rather than Solve.

At home, my parents navigated between calling with “Shay-Leigh” and “che-la,” influenza heavily by their Spanish accents and their struggle to balance Dominican Traditions with adapting smoothly to American Culture. Before I knew it, “che-la” morphed into “Shayla,” a Simplified, Americanized version of my name. Over time, evening I ACCPTED THIS AS MY ON.

School Gave with Anxiety

Every School YEAR BEGAN WITH AnxietyKnowing New Teachers Wauld inevitably stable over my name. I WOULD FEEL Tension Building Each Morning before Class Began, Waiting to Hear How Teachers Wauld Attempt My Name This Time. Wold they Pause Uncomfortable, Avoid Eye Contact, or Simply Default to a nickname they’d heard others use?

To ease the discomfort, I quickly adopted my nickname – shae, which Spread like Wildfire Among My Classmates. Each new version Created another layer of identity, fragmenting who was into pieces that felt increasingly unfamiliar.

Say Wasn’t Simply About Pronunciation – It was about cultural assimilation, a desire to blend in and avoid standing out as different. The subtle pressure to conform and make life easier for oters offten meant mySelf from the cultural heritage embedded in my given name. By allowing my name to be simple or americanized, I unintentally participated in a broader erasure – an act that quietly distant with from the stories, traditions, my name was meant to preserve.

A Teacher Told with My Name Mattered

Buterynding see During My Sophomore Year of High School, Thanks to One Unforgettable Teacher.

On the Very First Day of Class, after Hearing with Mumble Yet Another Simplified Version of My Name, She Pause and Firmly Said, “Your Name Matters. Her Words, Simple Yet profound, resonated deeply with me. In that instant, standing in front of Friends who’d Known with as Shay or Shayla for Years, something clicked. I realized I’d Spent too Answering to a Name Chosen solely Because it was convenient for oters.

From that moment forward, of Begin gently but confidently insist on my actual name – Shaleigh. It wasn’t always comfortable; Correcting others Felt Awkward, and It Still DOES.

Sometimes, hestedated, wondering if it was Worth the Trouble. Yet Each Correction Became Easier, Feeling LES LIKE CONFRONTATION AND MORE LIKE AN ACT OF QUIET BRAVERY. Every Small Victory – A New Friend or Colleague Getting It Right on the First Try – Has Been Incredibly Affirming. These moments remind with that this tan though fragments of my old identity still exist, i am continuously recialiming and revbuilding my true of self.

Nowadays, Different versions of my name CoExist, Depending on wen people entered my life. Old Friends and Family Still Call with Shayla, while Newer Acquastances Know with As Shaleigh. I’ve learned to be patient with this mixture, recognning that recaliming your name and identity is an ongoing journey rather than a single event.

I Still Pause When Someone Asks with, “What would you prefer to be calmed?” Becuses it acknowledges the Power and Significance of My Choice. In those moments, i reciaim my agency, one syllable at a time.