One thing that challenges high school students today is the art of self-expression. With many different ways to express oneself, it’s hard to find one that fits. One way students have expressed their individuality is tattoos. 

“It’s something that is very important to me,” junior Josiah Figueroa said. “They are important because it’s not just something random I put on my body.”

Figueroa has two tattoos, both on his forearms. He has his mother’s middle name and the serenity prayer–two things that will hold relevance within his life forever. The longevity of tattoos is crucial, as it’s something permanent on your body. Junior Landyn Cleveland has two tattoos, and a big part of them is their continuous value in his life.

“I have one on my forearm for my grandmother that died and the other on the inside of my bicep, and it’s my mother’s name,” Cleveland said. “They are important to me because it represents people who I love that will always be a part of me.”

For Figueroa and Cleveland, the women in their lives remain central figures for their tattoos.

For others who find their relationship with God to be central in their identity, getting a tattoo to represent this relationship can make them feel even more like they are representing their God. Senior Curtis Taylor has three tattoos, and all of them represent a relationship with God.

“I have a tattoo of the heaven gates on my arm, and it’s where I want to go when I pass away,” Taylor said. “I also have a dove on my bicep because it represents the blessings that God has given me, and ‘Fear God’ on my triceps because I don’t think there’s any man I should fear except God when I stand before him.”

For whatever reason we get them, tattoos are a way that we, as high school students, can express ourselves, and show what makes us different.

“My tats make me different,” Taylor said. “They show everyone who I am.”