Destiny. That was the name I was given. Of course, to predict the rest of my childhood, my name was chosen on a whim. Some people adapt the personality that comes with their name. I was not as lucky as those children are.

My name has been through a handful of altercations. It started off as D-Rae, combining my first initial and my middle name. Within the previous years, it has been shortened to Des because it was hard for small children to say. D-Rae and Des seem much more suitable. D-Rae is an affectionate name in my family. My mother’s mom started it the day I was born because she detested Destiny. I like it that way.

“Des” was what my friends called me before it carried along to the classroom then my siblings. Destiny seems too innocent, pure, and fragile. My life has been full of hardships and challenges. I may be polite, but pure is not fitting; innocent is uncomfortable; fragile is a long dead wish after years of abuse aimed at me and parenting my siblings. Des is simple and straight to the point. There are no expectations with the shortened version.

I am able to create my own vision when my peers think of me. The observation about my attitude should be that I am sociable woman. I work hard everyday, and I put effort to bettering myself because no one is perfect. I volunteer at the Arrowhead cafe and I hope to volunteer at a humane shelter, both raising my self esteem. I aim to go to University of Wisconsin in Madison or the University of Minnesota, seeing as they both have veterinarian classes to give me a step closer. My motivation is shaky but ultimately exceeding my expectations.

I have four younger siblings, a devoted mother, and an admirable step-father. That is the story I have made for Des, not Destiny. While that will forever be my full name, it is not my identity.