Coming from an Italian-Greek family, a name like Alessandra Dickos was practically a birthright.
Even if people clear the first hurdle of pronouncing "Alessandra," their faces usually go through a hilarious journey during their maiden voyage through my surname.
After years of cinema via strangers' facial expressions, I figured if you can't beat the joke, you might as well lead the punchline. So now, I embrace it all: the full first name, the various nicknames that resemble a scrambled version of it, and (of course) the last name.
If we get the chance to meet, know that I answer to (most of) it all. Whichever adventure you choose, I’m just grateful to have you along for the ride.