Krystal Katrina Fragante Banzon, 25, theater director/multimedia artist, Jackson Heights, Queens
What's the story behind your name?:
"My middle name is fraught with dislocation. When I was little I asked my parents what my middle name was, and upon hearing it, I complained about how strange sounding it was and whined until they named me something "better." So, growing up, I was Krystal "Katrina" Banzon. As I got older, and the memory of my youthful impertinence faded, "Krystal Katrina" was the name I believed was mine, stamped on all the markers of my growing autonomy - my driver's license, my college checking account, my first credit cards. Then as a young adult, moving out of my parents home going through old files and finding my birth certificate, I discover that "Fragante" actually sits between "Krystal" and my father's history, as per Filipino tradition, where the child inherits the mother's maiden name as their middle one. It's funny that "Katrina" was used to appease me, a parental white lie told by immigrants to their American children. It's only fitting that now I know the reality of my name, when I am old enough to appreciate and respect its tradition - the fragrance of heritage joining me and my ancestors."
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