Savanna Byles, Emilia Haus

Sitting in the chair, anxiously anticipating the tattoo gun meeting her skin, Miami Palmetto Senior High junior Heidi Guerra awaits the temporary discomfort of the needle, for the permanent mark and story her tattoo will tell. 

For many students attending MPSH, their tattoos carry a deep significance or reminder of an unforgettable memory. For Guerra, getting a matching tattoo with her mother and ordering food during the process was something she would never forget.

“A key memory was when my mom ordered food while I was getting my tattoo, because I went first, and my mom had ordered Chick-fil-A and Cold Stone … I tried to eat it while I was getting my tattoo done, and then she just started feeding me ice cream and my chicken sandwich,” Guerra said.

Guerra’s first tattoo is a matching carnation flower with her mother in honor of her great-grandmother, and her second tattoo is a peony tattoo dedicated to her grandfather.

“For my first [tattoo], my great-grandmother died of cancer, and that was my mom’s grandma. We both have a lot of love for her. I didn’t really get to meet her but there are always pictures. And everyone always says how I act, the stuff I do, it’s kind of like how [my great grandmother] used to. There’s habits that I do that she also used to do,” Guerra said. 

Similarly, junior Sean Cordo got matching tattoos with his family; in his case, he got a matching conch shell with his parents and brother.

“My parents convinced me, it was a family thing. So, they talked to me and my parents wanted me to get [the tattoo],” Cordo said.

While some parents typically discourage their children from making such a big decision about a permanent mark on their skin, others can also be supportive and accepting of a decision for a lifetime.

“[My parents] were supportive; they wanted me to get a tattoo because, if I’m gonna get something, they want it to be meaningful, and they know it’s meaningful to me,” junior Dylan Diaz said.

Similar to Guerra’s flower tattoos, senior Trinity Taboada has a matching hibiscus tattoo with her aunt, located on her collarbone. Taboada describes her experience getting a tattoo as a long procedure, but she plans on getting more tattoos in the future.

“I plan on getting one in Arabic because my family is Muslim. I was gonna get one that said ‘time heals,’” Taboada said.

Some students may get matching tattoos with family members or friends, but others decide to get tattooed on a whim. Junior Daniel Navarro got his wrist tattoo and describes it as an impulsive decision. However, Navarro still chose to get a quote that he felt was true to him.

“It’s Latin. It’s ‘veni,’ which means ‘I came;’ ‘vidi,’ which means ‘I saw,’ and ‘vici,’ which means ‘I conquered,’” Navarro said.

When preparing for a tattoo, it is important to be mindful of the long-lasting decision you are making. For Diaz, two years was a long enough wait for him.

“Just that it’s my first [tattoo]. I was excited to get something that symbolizes God,” Diaz said.

Many students with tattoos offered similar advice to anyone who may be considering getting a tattoo in the future: make sure it has meaning.

“Make sure that it’s something that has a meaning. Sometimes, I do want some tattoos that obviously don’t have a meaning. But, the big words that you can’t really hide. Make sure you have them with meaning because everybody’s gonna ask you what it means, and you’re just gonna say it was something you saw on TikTok,” Guerra said. 

Just as one may have unique characteristics in their looks or personality, the same concept applies to tattoos –– the ink marks carry messages and symbolism, and tell a story way beyond what appears to the naked eye.