My name: personal stories, and significance

In my first discussion for the Child Development course I am taking at Santa Rosa Junior College, I was asked to introduce myself by sharing the story of my name.

The cultural significance of Cynthia is that it is one of the names for Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon. I’ve encountered its meaning referred to as being a “Reflector of Light.”

At some time circa 1591 to 1603 (according to Literary Encyclopedia), Sir Walter Ralegh composed a poem, “The Ocean’s Love to Cynthia,” in tribute to Queen Elizabeth I.

I like my name, and prefer to be called by its full-form, Cynthia, and not Cyndi.

I grew up in the small town of Calistoga, California, among a very small student population. (There were only 33 students in my graduating class from Calistoga Junior/Senior High School.)

I was an outcast in school; I didn’t have any friends and I tried to go by “Cyndi.” Perhaps I thought that people might like me better if I used the nickname instead. That was a failed experiment.

Weird story about my name: I worked for a time as a reporter in Lake County, California. One time I showed up to cover a meeting of the Clearlake City Council, and a reporter from another newspaper was seated with me at the media table. She asked my name and when I told her, “Cynthia Parkhill,” her reply was that, with a name like that, I could be a real snob. I have a hard time “reading” people, so I’ve no idea why she said that.

Finally, when presenting myself professionally, I use my middle initial. It’s fairly likely that I’m the only “Cynthia Parkhill” in my local area, but we live in a time of global search via the Internet.

There are at least two, and maybe three, other women that I know of with the name “Cynthia Parkhill,” and on at least one occasion, I believe I may’ve been contacted by someone who meant to reach a different Cynthia.

Here’s to a great spring semester at Santa Rosa Junior College.