Why Mathieu? Why not Matthew? Why not Mathew? When I was younger I didn't take the name, Mathieu, as a Gift of God; (Mathieu = Gift of God). Mathieu was always too unique, and I felt like I stood out from the rest. Although as I grow up I've learned to embrace my name. I’ve learned that this name carries immense meaning throughout my family and religion. 

My name has taught me many life lessons that I will forever be grateful for, it has taught me to be unique, confident, and steadfast. There are many times when my name has taught me that it is ok to be unique and different. The first and most prominent time when my name showed me to be unique is when it was my first week at Arrowhead High School, transferring from Kettle Moraine, and I didn't have one conversation with someone who wasn't about my name. At first, this really made me self-conscious and anxious but then throughout the week, I started to learn that people love uniqueness and differences within other people. 

The next lesson my name taught me was to be confident. This comes with being unique because I have to show that I am confident in who I am and that I like to be different. Also, I am confident with my self-esteem because I had to learn that it's not personal when someone struggles to remember my name or can't spell it. 

The last lesson my name has taught me is to be steadfast. My name has taught me to be steadfast because through all the lessons it taught me I needed to remain myself and not change because of someone else's thoughts or opinions. 

All in all, my name has made me who I am today and it has taught me many life lessons.