In Italian my name means mountains. To my parents, Sierra means strength and groundedness. Power and stability. It means something stronger than life, yet majestic and graceful. Tough yet beautiful. Named after the rose growing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with wildlife more diverse than imaginable. Colors rich beyond the eye. Inconceivable strength.

There are only six letters that show that mountainous strength; that make up my personality, my memories, my experiences. Those things help tell you who I am, and how I created my story. Sierra is my entire beautiful self, wrapped up in just one angelic, captivating word. 

Six Letters. But more to tell my story. 

The little girl that grew up with those six letters lived off food stamps. The little girl that grew up with those six letters heard her parents crying in the garage because they were scared that they were going to fail their daughters. The little girl that grew up with those six letters watched her parents struggle to find paying jobs. 

Little did they know, she was just thankful that her parents provided her with a roof and a loving household, fighting for what they wanted, giving our family that strength and groundedness. The little girl that grew up with those six letters used to be scared to grow up. She saw death too many times. Her uncle, her confidant, her friends, her family.

But that little girl is no longer scared. She knows what she wants, and she knows what she deserves. She is ready to show how that one word proves its meaning. Power and stability. Tough yet beautiful. Stronger than life.

I am a survivor, but also sensitive and loving. A bright soul with a long past, stronger than the obstacles that have surrounded me. The softness in the strongness. Beautiful in the jagged edges of the mountain, making it stronger than the barriers that try to stop it from thriving.

I am forever in love with the six letters that created who I am. Those six letters are where I started, but now, I am so much more than that one word. This is just my beginning. I am strong and I will fight for what I want and what I deserve. I am my own mountain. Power and stability. Tough yet beautiful. Majestic yet graceful. Loving yet a fighter. Sierra.