Mia Rosa
Growing up, I did not particularly like having the name Mia Rosa, which translates to "my rose" in Spanish. My three siblings didn't have meanings attached to their monikers like mine. My older sister would use it to mock me, jabbing me the way only an older sibling can. Then, when I went to school, I realized I didn't particularly appreciate my peers calling me a possession either. The year the musical "Mamma Mia" was popularized was particularly eye-rolling. I even had a toxic boyfriend who said my name in a way that turned me off to jealous guys for life. As I got older and embraced my Mexican and Spanish ethnicities more, the title began to feel like a badge of honor, and I was grateful to my parents for giving me a lasting reminder of the Hispanic parts of my mixed heritage.
