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The story of Zoë

Posted on Jun 14, 2012 by in all about me and my family | 0 comments

P1060675

The story of Zoë…the short little name with an umlaut over the “e”.

I’ve known for years that if I were to ever have a baby girl, her name would be Zoë. Luckily, Marshall thought it was a cool name too! However, the reason behind us naming our little girl Zoë was more than just a unique name, it was inspired by one of my students in my first graduating class at Atlanta International School. Zoë Meroney, Class of 2006, a young woman who amazed me then and still continues to amaze me now. When I first met Zoë, it was the day after I was hired and I informally sat with several students in the library to get to know them. In popped Zoë with pink streaks in her hair, sitting by her friend, Rachel, who had purple streaks in her hair. It was such a comfortable conversation and one that made me excited that I had finally landed my dream job of becoming a college counselor in a high school. Zoë and Rachel were asking me all about my life, my background, and what things would be like with me as their college counselor. In return, I was discovering all about them- their experiences, their school, their backgrounds, and their excitement for the college search and their final year of high school. Through the year, I grew close not only to Zoë, but also her parents, Maggie and William. Zoë was mature beyond her years, but was also probably the most genuine and down to earth teenager I had ever met. She sought out ways to get involved in humanitarian and service efforts in India and Nepal, was active on our school campus, loved to cook, and just enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends. Zoë graduated that year, attended University of Georgia on the Foundation Fellowship, and ultimately traveled the world in her undergraduate experience including study of ethnic conflict in Bosnia and Croatia. Back in Georgia, she got involved in Amnesty International and the Georgia Innocence Project. When I reflect back to spring of 2005, I didn’t yet know what this young woman was capable of, but over the course of the years and many celebrations from her high school graduation, to her 21st birthday, to her college graduation, to her acceptance to a master’s program in New York City to study international affairs and conflict resolution, Zoë has and continues to make a difference in this world.

The name, Zoë, is of Greek origin and means life. I want for our daughter, our Zoë, to craft a life that will not only make her happy but will be inspiring to those around her. I want her to follow her passions, explore the world, learn all than she can, have fun, laugh, smile, dance…and with that, she will truly make us proud.

This past week, our Zoë met Zoë Meroney. It was so nice to catch up with Zoë and her mom. What is so sweet is that they gave us letters that spell out Zoë, wooden letters that hung on her door when she was a baby. Her mom had picked them up when she was traveling in Germany when Zoë was a baby. Now, they have found a place in our Zoë’s nursery. Many thanks to Zoë for inspiring me, and for also inspiring our daughter!

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