(uh-job-oh) Sophia Cajabo-Sophia Koczela

I know you might’ve been wondering. Yes, the “C” is silent. You can call me Cajabo, Sophia, Cajabo-Sophia, or some nickname. You can switch back and forth, too (underrated option). Having one of the most common names and a name most people haven't heard of is fun. Well, it wasn't always.

Growing up, I was Cajabo. I didn’t really want to be Cajabo—I learned to dread the first roll-call of the year and substitute teachers early on—but I didn’t wish I was Sophia instead. The school I went to was small. Like, really small. Like 12-people-in-our-graduating-class small. The people I was around knew me almost my entire life, so most people knew my name. I didn’t have to face the embarrassment of correcting the teacher that often. Cajabo was my name; Cajabo was nothing to be ashamed of. Nearing the end of middle school, though, a friend’s sister had mispronounced my name so badly it became a nickname for me. I didn’t mind—I liked it. But I knew once I got to high school, I didn’t want people to seriously mispronounce my name all the time. I knew I had to be Sophia.

The switch was instant...kind of. I practiced writing my name: Sophia Koczela, Sophia Koczela, Sophia Koczela. “Okay maybe they can’t pronounce that Polish last name, but at...