While having a potluck dinner last semester for a bonding event, the members of Her Campus UConn realized a lot of us had unique tattoos. Months later, an article has been compiled of the ink girls were willing to showcase. Each tattoo is unique and special; some have meaning and some are pieces of art.
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HC UConn Pinterest Chair, Hayley: “I got this tattoo while abroad at La Burra Tinta tattoo by someone that only spoke a little English. It’s the coordinates of Florence (technically the Duomo) because it was the best, most life-changing four months of my life. I got it on one of my last days in Florence.”
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HC UConn writer, Marissa: “My first tattoo, a lotus flower, was a spur of the moment decision with my two best friends. After a mild panic attack (why did I put this on my body for the rest of my life?!) I fell in love. It serves as a reminder for me to always live with spontaneity.”
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HC UConn Social Media Director, Samantha: “I got this tattoo in the summer of 2015 at CT Ink. I had been thinking about it for a while. My Gramma had dementia and was unable to write for a long time now. I found an old card that she wrote me a while back that said “I Love You” in it. I decided to get those words tattooed on me. When I got this tattoo, I was able to share it with my Gramma who was in a nursing home at the time. She loved it even though it was hard for her to understand that it was her handwriting. This past January, my family and I lost my Gramma, and I’m so grateful that I got this tattoo to hold this memory of her with me for a lifetime. I have three other tattoos with different stories that come along with them.”
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HC UConn writer, Keyanna: “’I’ve had this tattoo for a year now. I was going through some rough times and wanted a reminder that better days were coming. You have to pull an arrow back in order to shoot it forward, so when you feel like life is dragging you back, it’s going to shoot you in to something better.”
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HC UConn writer, Savannah: “My grandfather died when I was young and I knew when I was old enough to get a tattoo, this would be my first one. He was a clock collector so the time on the clock is his birthday, for when his “clock” started. He was an avid bird watcher and I always see cardinals after good things happen to me, which is why the bellies of the birds are red. It says “time waits for no one” because he died at a very young age, but all of our clocks have started and we have no jurisdiction on when they stop either. Love you A.M.”
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HC UConn Senior Editor, Erica: “I got this paper crane tattoo my freshman year of college at Hartford County Tattoo in Plantsville, CT but the shop isn’t there anymore. I just wanted a delicate design of something I thought was cute and I liked the placement. I have one other tattoo on the inside of my lower lip.”
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HC UConn Writer, Cassidy: “This was my 18th birthday present. It’s from a poem: “You don’t have a soul, you are a soul, you have a body.” It’s my favorite because people are confused when they read it at first, but it can really mean anything you want it to.”
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HC UConn Events Director, Lily: “I am a firm believer that a book can change your life. I first read Stargirl in elementary school, and it instantly touched me. I always felt different than other girls my age, and I finally found validation in this book. In the fourth grade, I felt so inspired by this book that I went to school dressed up as her and wouldn’t answer my friends or teachers unless they called me Stargirl (like I said, I’ve always been different!). I have read it numerous times throughout the years and each time it has brought new meaning and clarity to my life. I got this tattoo the day after my boyfriend, who is undoubtedly the love of my life, left for a 3 month boot camp for the USMC. I needed strength, courage, optimism, and unwavering self-love. I needed to be a Stargirl, so that’s what I became, and that’s what I always strive to be.”
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HC UConn writer, Tori: “My tattoo is of the tree of life to represent the significance of family (your roots) and also internal growth/strength. On the right side of the trunk you can see Xs and Os which are from a letter my grandma sent me when I was a kid. I got this at Squid’s Ink which is in Hanover, MA.”
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HC UConn writer, Sydney: “On my eighteenth birthday, the only present that I had wanted was a tattoo. After almost losing my dad to a health scare my family began to always write “xoxo” to each other in every text, card, letter, and even say it on voicemail. Two years ago, we went to the Flying Tiger and I had my mom and dad each write ‘XO’ and we put their letters together to then be placed on my left foot. Whenever I feel homesick or sad I just can look at my tattoo and remember my family is always there.”
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HC UConn writer, Sade: “On October 5th, 2015 I got my first and only tattoo (so far). The tattoo is my grandfather’s initials; he passed away many years ago due to cancer unfortunately. He was, and still is, my best friend, and I remember a week after the day he passed I made the decision to get a tattoo for him on my eighteenth birthday. I did not tell anyone other than my sister at the time that I wanted to get one.  On my eighteenth birthday my best friend drove me to Eminence Ink in Willimantic, CT to get it done. I showed my parents a week later and at first they were furious, but then they realized the importance of the tattoo itself so now they’re absolutely fine with it. No matter how many tattoos I get in the future this one will always be my favorite. Love you Grandpa!”
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HC UConn writer, Deanna: “I am a person who has always felt very connected to nature, and for my summer I worked as a camp counselor. This was the perfect opportunity to be in nature and be able to connect and help children who could benefit from a supportive environment. This is my most recent of 5 tattoos, ranging from bows, to a cat, to an Egyptian goddess, with plans for many more. It, like all of my others, was done by Amanda Dawn.”
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