Where are you from? 

I'm from Shanghai, China. 

Where do you live now? 

I live in Brooklyn, New York.

What is your name? 

My Chinese legal name is  沈悦辰 (Shen Yue Chen). My English name is Joy. 

What are the meanings behind your names? 

So, my Chinese name is basically Happy Dragon. Because 悦 is basically joy, happiness. And 辰 is the dragon symbol in Chinese legend. I'm born in 2000, which is the year of the dragon.  That's the simple meaning behind my Chinese name. And I think the meaning of my English name is the same, it just wishes me to be joyful. 

Did you give yourself the English name? 

No, my mom gave it to me. But I was originally called Joan. Because I was in kindergarten and my teacher gave me that. My mom didn't like it because it's similar to the pronunciation of poor (穷) in Chinese. My mom didn’t like that, so she changed it to Joy. 

Who gave you the Chinese name? 

I think it's just my parents. They decided together. 

Do you feel resonated with either name? 

Yeah. I didn't quite like both of my names that much just because they have very simple meanings. I am always drawn to names that either sound good or have a deep meaning behind it. And mine is just a happy dragon. So I'm like, meh. But the more people call both of my names, I start to relate it to them more. Because Joy is a really simple English name. I am in a bilingual setting most of the time, so people just refer to me as Joy all the time. So I didn't quite relate it to that at first. I think it's even after coming to Parsons for graduate school, I started to relate to it more, because everybody says the name Joy suits my vibe. That just made me feel more connected to my name for some reason. I do feel different when people call me by my Chinese name, like we're connecting instantly, almost. But Joy, there is a layer. Because everybody, whether we're close or not, calls me Joy. Also in an academic setting, people call me Joy. So I'm like, oh, that's just the way people refer to me. I don't feel that emotionally connected to it all the time. But I do start to like it more. I even thought about changing to a Chinese name before coming to Parsons, just because I want to use 悦辰. But also because it's hard to pronounce, I didn't do it. So I guess there's a slow process of me connecting with the name Joy as I grow up and get to know more people. 

How do you navigate your daily life with your name? 

I never use a pseudonym. Just because it's easy and simple. 

Do you resonate with the meaning of your name now?

Yeah, I definitely do. Because I never perceive myself as someone who easily is joyful or so light, like my name. But it does give me that lightness. And the more people say, oh, the name suits you. And I like your name. It gives me that lighthearted, joyful vibe more. So I actually thank my name for giving me that lightness. But I feel like I'm not actually that Joy deep down. So it's interesting. I guess it's a social mask I have, but also now I'm starting to relate to it more deep down.

How do you name yourself in the digital space? 

I had a time where I struggled between whether I should display Joy or 悦辰, my Chinese name. But now I'm changing to Joy entirely. Just because first it's easier for people to access my profile digitally. And I just also more wholeheartedly accept and relate to Joy more. Maybe it's just that I'm comfortable with both names. It doesn't have to draw that much clear line. I only want people to call me 悦辰 if we are close. Or only Joy. 

Do you have any social presence on Chinese digital social media? 

Joy S on Xiaohongshu, and on WeChat, my name is also Joy S. I started to unify them in recent years.

Does your digital name also manifest the same type of values as your real names? 

I don't know. I just somehow don't think that much about digital presence and my name's relationship to the digital space. 

When you say Joy is an easier name to remember, what type of audience are you thinking about? 

Especially like the Parsons community and the environment I live in now is more global than the environment I grew up. I think even with design, it's like you need something that's catchy or just something that's easy to remember. And Joy is like, it can be a personal branding in a way.