For years I really loathed my name. I come from a very Dutch family, thus I was given a very Dutch name. I grew up constantly correcting people on how to pronounce my first name, which became very tiring. I thought my name was weird and complete gibberish. But my biggest concern was my middle name, "Petronella." I never revealed to people what my middle name was, as I was incredibly embarrassed by it and had people make snarky comments regarding it. I really did not like it. As I grew older I started to ask the question, "Why did you name me this?" My family told me about our background and how my great-grandmother was an immigrant from the Netherlands and a "force to be reckoned with." She advocated for women's rights and was always center stage of her own show. I began to see the beauty behind it and how unique my name was. Whenever someone sees my name on my ID, I still get those out-of-pocket comments regarding it. But, I just smile and say "Yes, my name is Petronella." 

– Anneke

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more