Content Warning: Mention of and Image including healed self-harm scars

Of these two tattoos I’ve chosen to share, one is for me, and one is for my father. I decided to get Charles Bukowski over my healed self-harm scars as a way to reaffirm my strength and perseverance; as my favourite poet, Bukowski has been incredibly influential in my journey. For my father, who passed away when I was just a baby, I gave him flowers that would never die. I’ve never been one for cemeteries or such, so carrying him with me in tattoo form speaks louder volumes, and warms my heart.

- Elaine Godwin ’22

I got this tattoo right before I came to college and wanted something fun and cool! I played Pokémon a lot as a kid, so I picked one of my favourites! The Pokémon is called Zorua! I chose it because it had a really cute but fierce design! It was featured a lot in the anime as well.

- Collin Absher ’24

salaam ( عليكم) meaning “peace” – this was my first tattoo, and I wanted it to represent multiple things. My dad is an immigrant from the Middle East and with him, he brought his culture and traditions. While I don’t speak Arabic or practise Islam like him, I wanted to be able to have something that showcases this part of who I am because I am proud of it. This tattoo, to me, is symbolic of my hope for the world to be at peace with itself, for me to be at peace with the world, and for me to be at peace with myself.

- Sabrina El Shanti ’22

On the back of my right arm, I have an ouroboros tattoo! It is an ancient alchemist symbol that represents unity, or continuity. I think what it stands for is pretty cool, but to be frank, I just wanted a snake tattoo, and the ouroboros is one of the few symbols of snakes that isn’t meant to represent evil or temptation. My sister is an art director in the graphic design/advertising field, so I asked her to draw up an ouroboros for me to get tattooed so it felt a bit more personal.

On the back of the left arm, I have a roman numeral five. I don’t exactly know why, but I’ve always really liked the number five. Maybe it’s because I have five people in my immediate family, or maybe it’s just because it’s generally a cool number (sum of two consecutive prime numbers, first good prime number, etc.). Regardless, I wanted it tattooed, and I asked my dad to draw this one for me, which he did in the programme he uses for his architectural modeling work.

I have another tattoo on the inside of my right arm that is a smiley face. My grandmother, who my family called NeeNee, was a teacher and would put these smiley faces on the papers she graded to hand back to her students; she would also write them on any cards she would give to my siblings and me on holidays. After my 18th birthday, my siblings decided to get matching tattoos of our NeeNee’s smiley face.

- Erin Rollins ’23