Julia Pasato: Homework

Hanif Abdurraqib’s piece entitled “Zayn Malik and the Songs that bring us to prayer” and Mohamed Hassan’s “(Un)learning my name” illustrates the internal and external struggles of living for others’ comfort while suppressing your own culture and identity in the process. Both of these pieces highlighted the importance of others’ struggle, a struggle that others can’t see but could listen to and learn more from. 

The question, who am I? Does stump me but I’ll try to answer to the best of my ability. My name is Julia. I am eighteen years old and a freshman who’s majoring in entertainment technology. I’ve always had an interest in film production and one day hope to work in the film industry, I’m not entirely sure on what specific role as of now. Cinematography has photography as some of my main passions, I love producing films and capturing what’s around me. I’ve gotten more into photography in the past year, I see it as a way to stop time for only one moment. Once in a while, I do enjoy writing scripts but I am usually behind the camera. I am Ecuadorian American, I come from a family of immigrants and I am proud of each and every one of them. I truly value the sacrifice that my family has made for me to have a better life and more opportunities. 

I love my name, it was my grandmother’s name. My father named me Julia after his lovely mother, she was a strong woman that loved her children and family so very much. I didn’t meet her until I was fourteen years old but I’m grateful for the memories that I have of her, forever. Julia is a simple name for some but for me, it’s the name of the woman who devoted her life to her 12 children including my father. When I was younger I remember my Spanish speaking teachers pronouncing my name in Spanish rather than in English at the time it embarrassed me, because it rhymes with julio. But now it feels even more special because that’s how people would refer to my grandmother as.