"Kids started yelling my given name as an insult,"
"I was self-conscious about the color of my skin, my hair, my eyes - even the food I brought from home. I just wanted to fit in with everyone else."
"It felt like a name that could bridge both parts of who I am,"
"They made fun of everything about me,"
Nikki Kaur grew up in Chehalis, Washington, a small overwhelmingly white town, and was given the Punjabi name Gobinderveer, which carried cultural and familial significance. At school, the name was treated as too long and difficult, and teachers and administrators routinely mangled it. Relentless bullying and teasing led her to use the nickname Gobi, then at age seven she and her father chose Nikki, a Punjabi term meaning little girl, as a name that could bridge both parts of her identity. She formally requested the change at school, but classmates continued to use her given name as an insult, amplifying insecurity about her appearance and food.
Read at TODAY.com
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