Helen Shaw

BIEDL5338 Summer 2016

Activity/Journal #2
Whats in a Name?
My full name is Helen Schaefer Shaw. My name, much like Maria Isabels, is very
important to me. All three of my names have their own unique meaning, and I am proud to bear
each one of them.
My first name was chosen by my mother when I was born. My mother decided to name
me after someone she respected immenselyher best friend, Helen Eagle. Helen Eagle has faced
immense challenges in her life. She lost her husband to cancer and faced the immense task of
raising two small children on her own. I feel proud to have someone so strong, brave, and loyal
as my namesake. When I first learned where my name came from, I resolved to do the same if I
ever have a daughter, and name her after my best friend. My mother also wanted to make sure
that my name was pronounceable in any language, and since I grew up in a two-language
household and we lived all over the world, this was a smart move!
My middle name, Schaefer, means shepherd in German. This name was given to me by
a melding of tradition from both of my families. On my fathers side of the family, our middle
names have always been names from previous generations of our family history. In my case, I
received as my middle name my Omas maiden name. I like that my name has a connection to
my Oma, as she is the only grandparent I lucky enough to get to know well. My other
grandparents died when I was young, but Oma still lives in Berlin. She grew up in Germany
during World War II, when she and her family fled on foot from the war, trudging half-starved
through the deep winter snow. I have a lot of respect for my Oma, and share her name with pride.
My last name, Shaw, has a long history. Until recently, I just knew that it was a ScotchIrish name. However, a few weeks ago, I discovered that until his death, my grandfather had

Helen Shaw
BIEDL5338 Summer 2016
Activity/Journal #2
been working on a history of the Shaw family. He was able to trace our ancestors back to James
Shaw, a Scotch-Irish man who immigrated to the United States in 1774 in search of a better life
and fought in the revolutionary war. I felt happy to discover that the Shaw family has a longstanding love of books, which I share. The Shaw family also has a tradition of service, with
many of my family members having worked for the military or the government a path that I,
too, shared when I joined the Peace Corps, and I path I continue to hope to share by someday
joining the Foreign Service. Additionally, as an exuberant student of American history, it felt so
thrilling to think that my Shaw ancestors were there throughout all the events I had read about in
my history books and biographies. Someday, I would like to travel to Campbell County,
Kentucky, where in the backyard of a forgotten house lies the gravestone of James Shaw,
Revolutionary War veteran.
There is one more name that is important to me. While my name is Helen, for two years,
while I lived in Mozambique, I was not referred to by that name. Instead, I was referred to as
Professora Helena, and it also became a name I cherished deeply. That was the name that my
students, their families, my colleagues, and other community members called me in my village.
Sometimes, when I am reminiscing about my life there, I think about walking down the street to
the village market and my students passing by and smiling, saying Ol, Professora Helena! How
are you! I am fine! and it makes me smile to this day.
My name is very special to me, as all names should be. My name carries with it
generations of family history from both sides of my family, and it helps to keep that history alive.
Just like Mara Isabel, I identify deeply with my name, and thinking about it brings back many
fond memories.