Through the halls of Foran, skin has become a canvas for self expression. Between students and faculty alike, many are permanently marked with their own individual stories.
Several people get tattoos to symbolize the importance that family holds to them. Senior Sandy Alves got her tattoo, four hearts on her wrist, in August 2023.
“I got this tattoo because my mom also has this tattoo and each heart represents a member of my family in this house,” she states. Alves plans to get another tattoo in November with her grandmother.
Senior Makayla Brennan has a tattoo that reads “I love you to the moon and back” along her spine.
“I got this tattoo for my grammy,” she states, “Our saying is ‘I love you to the moon and back,’ and it has always been something I planned on getting.” Brennan expresses her belief that tattoos are a great way of showing things that are close to one’s heart.
Junior Ray Jackson’s tattoo acts as an homage to his late father.
“I just wanted to always let him know he’s with me at all times,” Jackson shares.
Senior Caroline Janik has two tattoos, one in her grandmother’s handwriting, and the other of a sun.
“My family calls me sunshine,” she expands.
For some, tattoos are a representation of a piece of who they are. Senior Asher Kupson has a lily of the valley tattoo on his forearm.
“I got it because it’s my birth month flower. I also just think it’s pretty,” he reveals.
Tattoos can also be functional. Mrs. Rachel Pangu has a tattoo of a passion flower over a scar she has always wanted to cover.
“I think they’re beautiful,” Pangu explains, “but when I started to look into it I saw that there was folklore and a story behind it.” She describes how the flower is invasive, and also linked to Christianity.
“It thrives everywhere, some people look at it as a nuisance, but it’s also considered beautiful,” Pangu states.
Many, like Pangu, do not feel the urge to get another tattoo. However, Mrs. Lisa Stamidis is not one of those people.
“I got my first tattoos when I’d just turned 18,” Stamidis reveals. She has gotten a couple tattoos throughout the years since, even getting one very recently in October, and planning to get another this November.
“Some people just like them because they’re funny and interesting and art, but all of mine have significance to them,” she divulges.
Tattoos are more than just ink. They are symbols of individuality, family, and beauty forever etched into one’s skin.
