Everyone’s childhood included some type of personal challenge. Whether it was being too skinny, being too short, or always being picked last to join a team, they were challenges. Fortunately, some of us outgrew these minuscule challenges, but for the rest of us, we still have them. I am one of those people. My challenge is having a unique name and the struggles that came along with it.

One of my struggles that I have is when someone asks what my name is and I hesitate for a second because I think to myself “should I even tell them, they’re going to forget” or “watch they mispronounce it after I tell them what is”. Sometimes, I even avoid telling people what my name is to dodge a bullet.

And then after I say my name, I get one out of two responses which are “oh, what does that mean?” –It means that’s my name- or “where are you from?”-Why does that matter?

Another struggle that grinds my gears is when people automatically think they know how to pronounce it and just go with their gut and pronounce it totally wrong. It baffles me, because the majority of the people that do this are African Americans. I get confused as to why my people mispronounce my name totally wrong, but when other people of different races say it, they get it right or they ASK me instead of assuming.

Plus, when they pronounce my name, they say names that doesn’t even sound like a human name. I think to myself “does that sound like anything my mother would name me?.” It’s an absolute struggle.

The list goes on and on, and I have been encountering these struggles for two decades, but yet I am dealing with them. Now that I am in college, I realize that a lot of people have come up with nicknames for me. And surprisingly enough, I enjoy them. There is Meek, Kami, Kamikam, Kam, K Michele, K Prizzle, and many more, and I respond to all of them. I realize that my unique name is what makes me, me. It’s annoying at first, but when I think about it, there are not many people out there with my name. When someone says my name to someone, 99.9 percent of the time, they are referring to me, and that is a great feeling. I do not have to compare or compete with another Kamica or even worry about someone saying “no, the tall one” or “the black one”, it’s just me.

When it comes to my unique name and the accompanying struggles, I constantly think of a quote that Dr. Seuss said: “Why fit in when you born to stand out.” I can no longer fit in with a unique, sophisticated name of mine, I have to stand out, and I gladly accept this challenge.