The Titles We Hold By Giuliana Dorso

By Giuliana Dorso

Your first name is the very first judgment a stranger makes about you - an immediate lens through which people form an impression before you even speak. It is funny how much weight society places on a label you had no part in choosing. But what if a birth certificate isn't a permanent social sentence? What if you have the power to reinvent your given name to fit different environments, proving that one identity can comfortably hold many titles. 

My birth name is Giuliana, the traditional Italian variation of Juliana. At first glance, it frequently created social friction. I used to be deeply annoyed by the constant chore of directing people on how to spell it, pronounce it, or quickly summarize why it was spelled with a 'G.' Out of sheer convenience - and eventually, personal pride - I shortened it to 'Giul.' It was brief, sharp, and unique on its own: qualities I came to embrace in myself.

The earliest evolution of my name began within my family. I was 'G,' 'G-girl,' or simply 'Ana' at one time. These variations represented the most intimate, deeply woven versions of Giuliana —reserved strictly for the people who knew me first. It wasn't that much later, as I stepped into less casual environments, that I truly began to settle into 'Giul': a name that I still go by, offering a bridge between my private world and my growing public independence.

In middle school as a distinct minority in an inner-city environment, my peers took Giul and reframed it entirely, dubbing me 'JuJu.' Spurred by the era's viral anthem 'Juju on That Beat,' the name was more than just a pop-culture reference. It was my peers creating a title that reflected the rhythm of their own culture, using it as an explicit invitation to bring me into their world.

Later, as a high school server and eventual bartender at a Lebanese restaurant, my title evolved once more into "Giulz." This version was sharper and more dynamic, crafted to match the fierce, vibrant, and magnetically present nature of Lebanese culture.

Moving between these names taught me that identity isn't static. In corporate or other professional settings, carrying a chosen variation of your name allows you to protect your core self while maintaining authenticity—giving you room to adapt without ever losing sight of who you are.

By being “Giul”, 'Juju' and “Giulz” has become distinct markers that immediately tell me which environment a person from a specific era in my life is from. Yet through all these chapters, I never allowed anyone to call me by my full name, 'Giuliana.' Looking back, I think I subconsciously knew I wasn't ready to step into that version of myself. Humanistic psychology suggests that personal growth is driven by the distance between who we are now and who we aspire to be—our Ideal Self. 

For me, 'Giuliana' lives in that space of growth. Withholding my full name isn't an act of avoidance; it is a boundary of deep respect for my own evolution. I treat 'Giuliana' as a title to be earned when my internal security matches the formal weight of the name. By reserving her for the future, I give myself the grace to navigate my present as Giul, Giulz or Juju while continually reaching toward the person I am meant to become.

I invite you to consider what your name(s) mean to you - and, better yet, what it could mean. Looking back, I am proud of the variations I have carried, what each version of myself has accomplished, and the lessons they have taught me across different seasons of my life. Still, I eagerly welcome whatever new spaces lie ahead, and the new titles they might bring with them. Each of us holds the power to step into a stronger sense of authenticity, or to rewrite our story entirely. What will your choice be?