Rather than bring about conflicts and identity crises, my name has enabled me to find goodness in it, getting nicknames that I like, and it has enabled me to get favors that I would otherwise not get. My name is Evie, and individuals often relate it to Eve, the first female in the bible. Mohamed Hassan presents a scenario in which individuals relate him to being white but they turn out to be skeptical when he mentions his name (Hassan, 2018). He recounts how he felt relieved being told that he looks white due to the color of his skin and eyes, but he was hesitant to say his name because the perceptions of individuals would change. For me, this has not been the case. No person has ever related me to a different culture after hearing my name. Willis-Abdurraqib (2016) also notes that individuals portray hatred and violence towards Muslim, and when one shares their name, there is skepticism.
However, in my case, the name Evie has always seemed to people like it is a modern name and not related to any specific religion. Even for the individuals that relate it with Eve in the bible, they only do so with the name but do not relate me with any religion until we interact and I tell them my religion. In my years through school, one of the nicknames I received was “the first.” It was all related to Eve being the first female and individuals always made consideration for me when it came to the different sectors. For example, when my classmates and I were required to undertake a task that was beneficial, the friends around me always stated that I should go first because my name was Evie. However, the same applied to the negative, such as when we needed to take punishment. Considering the better moments were more than worse moments as I grew up, my name turned out to bring me more positivity than negativity.
Considering the simplicity of my name, I have never had a difficult time learning and pronouncing it. To some, it always feels like it is a shortened name of a full name, such as Evelyn. To most, they readily accept my name as it is. Since being nicknamed “the first” in school, I have learned to easily take up opportunities as they come in life, and that has been profitable to me in different ways. Therefore, my name has promoted my identity.
