2B
Managaing Statement Editor:
Lara Moehlman
Deputy Editors:
Yoshiko Iwai
Brian Kuang
Photo Editor:
Alexis Rankin
Editor in Chief:
Emma Kinery
Design Staff:
Michelle Phillips
Hannah Myers
Emily Hardie
Erin Tolar
Emily Koffsky
Managing Editor:
Rebecca Lerner
Copy Editors:
Elizabeth Dokas
Taylor Grandinetti
Wednesday, November 22, 2017 // The Statement
Copy that: What’s in a name?
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | NOVEMBER 22, 2017
A
mong the unending items we fact-
check,
spell-check,
grammar-
check and style-check at the
mighty copy desk are the names of
University of Michigan officials, guest speakers,
Ann Arbor residents and students. Names are
easy. It takes a simple Google, LinkedIn or
MCommunity search to make sure we publish
people’s names correctly. The Daily’s coverage
at its core is about the people who fill this
campus, city and state through their actions,
opinions and — more explicitly — their quotes.
My job is to check such names.
But every so often, typos and mix-ups
compromise the correct identification of our
subjects.
When you introduce yourself, you start
by saying your name. Names last longer and
reflect more of your identity than titles do.
One of my first middle school English
assignments was to learn the origin stories of
my name. That night I dove into the deeper
meanings behind my names using Google and
the fount of wisdom that is my mom.
My given middle name is Madeline, a hopeful
moniker bestowed upon me by my mother
who wanted to give me an out and an option
for an easier life with an English name. Yes, I
was named after Ludwig Bemelmans’s small,
rambunctious redhead Parisian schoolgirl
who needed an appendectomy. And yes, I own
several hardcover volumes of the books.
After an evening of light research and
questioning, I discovered that “So Jung”
roughly
means
“foundation
light,”
and
“Madeline” means “tall tower.” As a cheeky
sixth-grader, I thought it ingenious to combine
both meanings into one: lighthouse. Since
completing that homework assignment, I have
loved my name. Secretly, I hope it’s a self-
fulfilling prophesy.
However, I firmly believe that living and
trying to work with a Korean name in this
diverse American society should not be as
bothersome as it is. Most second-generation
children
of
Asian
immigrants
have
an
American first name followed by an Asian
middle name. Mine reverses the norm.
S-o space capital-J-u-n-g. Two words with
no dash. I find it eternally frustrating that my
driver’s license, voting record and Scantron test
bubbles cannot reflect this fact.
I
have
tried
embracing
“Madeline.”
During sophomore year of high school, I
was sick of teachers, substitutes and coaches
mispronouncing my name so I introduced
myself as “Maddie.” The experiment only
lasted one year.
My mom and I discuss the tradeoffs of
authenticity,
convenience,
identity
and
assimilation nearly every time I come home
from school. But I am stubborn. Could it
be true that hiring managers or internship
coordinators have passed me over because
my résumé seems foreign? I naively pray that
racism is just a conspiracy.
When strangers, friends or professionals
decide that “So” or “Kim” suffice for their ease,
I try to correct them politely, but internally I
question if they respect me.
Since coming to college, simplicity and
endearment
have
chipped
away
at
my
stubbornness. When I order food, I use my
initials “SJ” or “SJK,” and many peers across
campus affectionately shorten my two-syllable
name to “Soj.”
To everyone who interacts with other
people — so, everyone — please take 10 seconds
to make sure you spell someone’s name right. I
know they will appreciate it.
ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH MYERS
BY SO JUNG KIM, DAILY COPY EDITOR