Nicknames. Nicknames have always been something I look forward to. I knew that my name Mia could never be shortened to other names since it was already three letters. So, when I received a nickname, it felt more special. One of my first nicknames was Mimi. My sister and mom called me this when I was younger. They said that it was fitting for my “cute little face.”

When I got a little older, about five, I started falling in love with dance and gymnastics, which is when my dad started calling me “Cartwheel.” At any given moment, I was doing a cartwheel. It was my go-to move to try and impress people. When I was in a store and I saw a kid my age, I would just whip out a cartwheel in the middle of the store to get their attention. My love for movement started when I was a kid and the name Cartwheel perfectly suited me.

As I got older, my family continued to call me some of my nicknames, even including the mean ones my brother would give me. Being given these names made me feel like I had a stronger connection with them even if the names were silly and just being funny. He loved to call me and the rest of the girls in my family Short-Stack to try and show who was more powerful. 

Besides my family, some of my friends call me different names. Most of this started from the Snapchat name I made for myself when I was seven. Mejdance. This was the name I gave myself when I first created my Snapchat. Simply my initials and dance connected, because I loved dance from a young age. This name stuck with my friends. 

The name Mejdance evolved into different versions. Some call me Mej (mehj), some call me Mej (mēj). They look the same yet people say them differently. 

The last nickname that has stuck with me is Jones. It's simply my last name. This one is mostly used among my dance friends. We tend to cheer each other on by our last names since so many people tend to have the same name. Calling each other by our last names feels more personal because I know specifically who is being directed at.

Nicknames aren’t just something anyone calls me; they show that I have a personal connection with that person.