This is the story of how I found out that I was royalty; well, not exactly. As a child, the first thought that went through my head when I first saw my grandparents’ family crests on a plaque in the living room was “Wait, so we’re royalty?”. My grandmother had laughed at this, and began to explain its origin. Beginning the crest, her family name is displayed above a symbol; two axes crossing each other in an “X” shape with a vertical sword behind them. After the symbol is the profile of a knight’s helmet. At the center of the crest, a yellow and green shield is presented. At the bottom of the shield is the silhouette of an otter, and finally, a latin phrase is written, meaning “Planning and Impulse”. This crest has been in my grandmother’s family for generations and originated in England. The family crest is important to me because it represents my grandmother’s fascinating life growing up in England, and my numerous relatives that reside there. We keep in touch through Facetime, messaging apps, and social media, that is why we are very close. Whenever they are able to make the trip over every couple of years, I am always ecstatic. Because my grandmother grew up in a poor family with 5 siblings during World War II, the stories she tells from her childhood and her immigration to America have always captivated me. This crest connects me to my identity because it represents half of my huge loving family and their history.

– Hannah Cuttone

Relationship:  unknown unknown