Divine names at Armijo
In Greek and Roman mythology, there are several gods and goddesses that are well-known, and some who are less popular. Armijo students Persephone Kwan and Ariadna Verales bear names rooted in the pantheon, but were reluctant to share information about those connections. Other students with divine names were more willing to share.
Diana Cuevas Estrada and Diana Contreras were actually named after Princess Diana. “My father decided to name his only girl after a royal princess,” said Cuevas. The Roman Diana, though, has her own claim to fame. She was the goddess of the hunt as well as the goddess of the woods, children and childbirth, fertility, chastity, the moon, and wild animals (https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/diana/).
Both Dianas have family at Armijo. “My older sister Sophia Contreras graduated in 2020 and my little sister will come in about six years her name is Camila Bautista,” said Contreras. Cuevas has a brother who graduated in 2017 and another who graduated in 2018, as well as several cousins.
Their name is not terribly unusual. At Armijo, there are three other Dianas, and Contreras and Cuevas have both met other girls with their name. When others hear it, they often reference the princess for which they were named, but Contreras said, “They either start singing Michael Jackson’s song dirty Diana , they call me Princess Diana or they call me Wonder Woman because that’s her name.”
While Contreras doesn’t feel that COVID impacted her much, it was different for Cuevas. “COVID has impacted my social life, I’m much more shy and I get more anxious super quickly. It took a lot out of everything mentally and emotionally and I think everyone including myself are trying to find a way to get back to ‘normal’,” she said.
Despite the interruption in their education journey, both Dianas share a common goal. They will both start by attending Community College. Contreras said, “After college, I will attend a program for ultrasound.” Cuevas has the same goal.
While Diana may be a fairly popular name, Athena is not. In Greek mythology, she is the goddess of wisdom and war, and her namesake at Armijo, Athena Chanelle Espiritu, is familiar with the origin of her name (https://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Athena/athena.html). She was actually named by her uncle.
“People usually say that they like my name, that it sounds unique/nice or that they know Athena means the Greek goddess of wisdom,” Espiritu said. “I don’t have any clever sayings for my name but my friends and family like to turn to me for wisdom, since that is the meaning behind my name.” Her name isn’t the only one in her family that is unique. “My dad’s name is Magellan. Magellan is the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean.”
In order to develop her wisdom even further, Espiritu plans to go to Sac State and major in Health Science with an interest in nursing. Her hope is to become a Registered Nurse.
