Weeks 1 & 2: Leadership for a Diverse Society (LFADS) - There is More to Me Than What You See

          Míiyuyam!  Notúng Kelly Leah Stewart yaqáa. Miyu payómkawish pí tumánqalum.  Pomşwáamay şúungan Dolores Maria Aguila and Lane Robert Stewart, potú'may Carmelita Marylouise Gonzales pí pokwá’may Calistro Rodriguez Aguila, popíiwimay Ramona Ballesteros pí Louis Florian Gonzales, and posóosamay Maria Francisca de Paula Lisalde pí Lorreto Gonzales.
          Hello! My name is Kelly Leah Stewart.  I am Luiseno (payómkawish/payómkawichum means person/people of the west) and Gabrielino-Tongva (tumánqalum means people to the north in Luiseno).  I am the middle daughter of Dolores Maria Aguila (Luiseno/Tongva/Tohono O’odham) and Lane Robert Stewart, the granddaughter of Carmelita Marylouise Gonzales (Luiseno/Tongva/Tohono O’odham) and Calistro Rodriguez Aguila, great-granddaughter of Ramona Ballesteros (Tohono O’odham) and Louis Florian Gonzales (Luiseno/Tongva), and great-great-granddaughter of Maria Francisca de Paula Lisalde (Luiseno/Tongva) and Loretto Gonzales (Kumeyaay).  I chose to begin with a Luiseno introduction in order to situate myself in connection with the land and to honor my ancestors.
          My first name, Kelly, is a Gaelic name that means warrior.  My middle name, Leah, is a Hebrew name that means weary.  My last name, Stewart, is a Scottish/English name that means guardian.  Stewarts were the stewards (keepers of the castle) to royalty in Scotland and England.  I do descend from the “royal” Stewarts (i.e. Robert the Bruce in Braveheart – he was a real person and a Stewart), but from a branch of the clan that came to the Americas.  All of these meanings go out the window, when visiting the story of my name.  My parents weren’t very creative, and named my brothers, sisters, and me after family members.  I am named for my maternal grandfather, Calistro Aguila.  According to my mother, there was nothing special about her choosing this name, stating “you just seemed like a Kelly.”  For a majority of my life, my maternal grandmother and aunt Rose Ann (Chana) have called me Calistra; stating that I am exactly like my grandpa. My grandpa used to call me his tocaya (namesake) and favorite.  I’ve had my name misspelled most of my life; with people (including my paternal grandmother, I didn’t correct her until I was well into my 20s) spelling it Kelley.  Overall, there are so many names (first and last) that make up my identity, and – as someone extremely knowledgeable of my ancestors (on both sides) and their roles in history – I could go on about this forever.