Having a unique name can come with many different benefits and weaknesses. I cannot even recall how often I have had to spell my name to introduce myself to people for the first time. The “Hi, I'm Nape” causes a constant battle of spelling out my name letter by letter. Typically the conversation is followed up with something such as “wow, that's cool” or, on the contrary, “what.”

I take pride in my unique name because it has many deep ties to my family. My full name is Dow Napier Kirkpatrick IV. I know that's a mouthful, but I enjoy its uniqueness. The reason why we have kept this family name for four generations resonates powerfully with this week in particular. My great grandfather, Dow the 1st, was a preacher in downtown Atlanta during the civil rights movement and was one of the first white preachers to allow Martin Luther King Jr. to preach in his church. He also advocated for the civil rights movement and was one of the first to help desegregate the churches in downtown Atlanta.

Having this name helped shape me into the person I am today through the constant reminder of my family. When I was younger, the most annoying part about meeting new people was that awkward 15-second conversation to clarify that my name wasn’t Nate. Now, I enjoy explaining my nickname, short for Napier, to the new people I meet at UGA.

Finally, I have attached a photo of me, my dad, and my grandfather from this past year. It is cool to share the same name with both of them and my great-grandfather. My name is something totally unique to my family and me.