★Since Nabil Cherif was old enough to walk to school on his own, his Ommi (mother) would walk with him the first two blocks, turn the corner together, and send him off saying, translated from his Tunisian dialect, “Go, Live Up to the Meaning of your Name.”

★She’d wave to him and watch until he made the turn around the next corner, which was another block away. Sometimes, he would run back to the corner to see if she was still watching, and she would be! For many cultures, including mine, a person’s name is significant. Nabil means noble, honorable, and doing the right thing. Ommi’s words and the image of her waving goodbye are with him everywhere he goes. Now, living in the United States, Nabil has learned that names aren’t necessarily about their specific meaning, but about the connection it has with us individually as we live life together. Nabil humbly invites you to join him on a journey. A story of life’s challenges, successes, heartbreaks, loves, and how he's tried to live up to the meaning of his name, but more importantly, how you too can live up to your name’s meaning.