What's in a Name?

The name Patrick has always had various meanings and values to me. It’s a fairly unique name, so much so, that I had only known two other Patricks until going to Governor’s School. I met three there. (Coincidence? I think not!) To me, my name stands for everything I have ever done and will ever do. It is the signature to a life that only I have lived. On a wider scope, my name is what sets me apart from other people with other names. Whenever I asked my parents why they named me the way they did, they would reply by saying it was the only name they could both agree on and that it meant differently to each of them. My dad would say it’s been a name frequently used in the family, so he just wanted to uphold that tradition. My mother would just say it sounded "pretty".


After taking IB English 3, I've come to realize that having a name like Patrick definitely sets me in the realm of white privilege. I will never have to worry about being judged poorly prior to a job interview or meeting based on my name. With my white name, nobody would ever guess that I’m half Colombian and that I have a long line of Hispanic blood in my family. Odds are, I won’t be othered and I will be treated with respect unless I prove someone otherwise. It is unfortunate how racist our society still is today, but having a name like mine really helps me hurdle over obstacles that countless other ethnics must face daily.


My name has usually brought me many differing yet often intertwining identities. When I used to play baseball, I would just be one with the team. Each person had a specific role on the field that they were expected to fulfill. In that sense, some of our individuality was lost in the effort to make a stronger whole. In order to win, we had to think for ourselves yet communicate with each other and work together as a team. It was difficult to be both an individual and a team member at first (I’m talking about T-ball times, folks), but over the years, I managed to easily pull my weight as well as supporting and communicating seamlessly with others on the team. I’d like to note how I refrain from saying MY team, because it really isn't. It was OUR team because it wouldn’t have functioned or be the way it was without every single person doing their specified job every time we played. A team is just like a colony of ants– if every member works together on the same focus, they can carry out things they simply couldn’t do by themselves.



To be an individual in a larger whole means that you won’t often get recognized for what you do. Your and everybody else’s individual achievements are seen as the team’s achievements. Unless you really stand out positively (like the time I hit a game-winning triple) or negatively (like the time I gave away the game-losing walk) then the praise or criticism drops on the team and not the individual. In that sense, the team can act as a safety umbrella for all the individuals to fall under.