Akin to many other students with tattoos, junior Jared Cox-Bradley’s idea for his tattoo stems from his family history and symbols.

“I went out and got my mom’s named tattooed on me in eighth grade,” Cox-Bradley said. “It’s kind of something that runs in my family. She has my name [tattooed] on her, and my brother has the same. It’s a symbol of the love I have for my mom.”

Along with displaying family loyalty, Cox-Bradley feels that tattoos have other potentials as well.

“Tattoos are a great sign of art to express yourself, just don’t go wild with it,” Cox-Bradley said.

While Cox-Bradley describes the strong family ties tattoos can create, he also acknowledges that different people have contradicting views on tattoos.

“The older generation might not agree with it, but between the young people, tattoos are definitely a family tie,” Cox-Bradley said. “I can see why teachers may think that having tattoos are a bad idea because tattoos weren’t as popular when they were kids. People often never really talk about me having a tattoo.”

While Cox-Bradley’s tattoo has personal significance, he believes that all tattoos, if received for the right reasons, can be powerful.

“It’s just basically showing a symbol of love,” Cox-Bradley said. “If you tattoo someone on your body permanently, you’re basically showing them you’ll love them forever.“