Hello World! My name is Victor Guindi! I am 19 years old as a freshman at Baruch College this Fall 2017.
Being born and raised at the heart of the Sephardic Jewish Community of Brooklyn, NY, I am constantly exposed to many different events, people and resources that have shaped me as a person. As a second generation of immigrant parents who have lived in Syria, moved to Israel and Panama, and settled in New York, I constantly switch my dialog among several languages, speaking English with my peers, Arabic with my paternal grandparents, Spanish with my maternal relatives and Hebrew with my family in Israel.
But, why is my name “Victor?”
It’s interesting to note that in my community there is a custom to name children after their grandparents. Thus, I am the namesake of my maternal grandfather, Victor. However, I never truly grasped the meaning of my name, until a relative of mine posed the question to me. After asking my mother about the importance of my name, I was fascinated by what she had to tell me:
My grandfather, Victor, was born in Syria in 1949, a few years after the country claimed independence from its French Mandate in 1945. In addition, World War II and the Holocaust had just ended in the same year as well. As a result of these occurrences, Syrians were no longer subject to the rulership of the French and the Jews were liberated from the hostile Nazi Germany. Due to these multiple victories, it was customary for families to name their newborn boys “Victor,” which means one who defeats an opponent in battle.
Discovering the true meaning of my name has molded me into a more analytical individual, embodying the motto that “no inquiry should remain unaddressed.” This attitude should hopefully assist me as I now enter the realm of college, unfolding issues and arriving at meaningful conclusions.
People have been asking me about my major. Honestly, I’m interested in too many areas: mathematics, writing, computers, psychology, hospitality and business are just some of my interests. After much thinking I finally declared the most suitable major: UNDECLARED! Over this year in college, I plan to gain a robust knowledge in different areas and build a supportive social network in order to “address my inquiry.”
Victor, I think it was really neat that you shared how you found out the meaning behind your name. I was really interested while reading this experience and could tell that the name really means a lot to your family and community. I hope you have a great rest of the year in expanding your knowledge at Baruch!
Hello Victor,
Your story is one of the one interesting I’ve heard. It is extremely impressive that you can speak four languages fluently, I only speak English and Greek and find it hard to maintain my level of Greek. The story behind your name also interested me a lot. I love how it has shaped who you are. I was just named after my grandpa from my mom’s side, so I wasn’t as affected by my name as you. I hope you enjoy your college years at Baruch.
Hey Victor! I had a project in the freshman year of high school where I had to research the history behind my name and yours would’ve made for an interesting one! One of my close friends, who is a Korean, born in Scotland, then moved to Germany before moving to the United State, has a similar experience to you. He can speak many languages, and occasionally slips in and out of different accents. I respect your curiosity, sense of humor, and willingness to learn, and those attributes will make you successful in whatever major you decide.
Victor, you have such a cool story, I am so jealous that you can speak four languages! Also the story behind your name, I would have never guessed there was such an interesting history to it. I never really got a straight answer from my parents when I asked them why they named me Aja. And finally, I am undecided too, the decision is too hard right now, so hopefully soon we will have a better idea of what we really want to do (: