Sean Patrick Nicholl,
Storrs, CT.

Heard it plenty of times… I mention that my first name is after my grandfathers; John… y Juan. That stops them for a second. John, Juan, and Sean are all the same name in various languages. A great grandfather of mine adds Jean to the list. They think I’m joking. And I say, “Mi abeulo se llama Juan Bautista Galan-Cruz III, y es de Madrid. Mi madre vivia en Puerto Rico como una nina.” The last names in my Spanish heritage include Cruz, Galan, Velasquez, Formoso, Marcano… we all look white. Even my mother’s cousin who can barely speak English has blonde hair and blue eyes. Don’t tell me I’m not Spanish.

Northern Irish, Irish, Canadian, French, Bohemian Czech, Castilian Spanish, Puerto Rican … lastly American.