“I think it was Layla who mentioned this earlier…” my classmate said before describing the connection between a point I had made and their own. It was as if any mental and physical exhaustion I felt in that moment disappeared; I was alert and focused. After all, one of the most effective ways to immediately capture someone’s attention is to use that person’s name. In this case, it suggested that my classmate remembered something I said earlier and, by extension, that they cared about what I had to say.
When I am in class, which at Goucher College tends to include 20-25 students, I often have difficulty voluntarily speaking up during a discussion. Not participating deeply impacts my focus and engagement with the course material, and my lack of contribution can make me feel like I am not fully a part of the class. In that moment when my peer used my name, however, I suddenly felt present and that I contributed something meaningful to the discussion.
