For many App State students, personal style goes beyond the clothes they wear, with tattoos offering a permanent way to express the interests, memories and experiences that shape them.
From family connections to favorite music or spontaneous design, tattoos have become another way students tell their stories. Each piece carries its own inspiration, whether that’s something deeply personal or simply something they enjoy.
Christian Laporta, a sophomore business management major, has a tattoo inspired by his grandfather who served in the Navy. His grandfather had a tattoo featuring a skull with a top hat smoking a cigarette, which Laporta used as inspiration for his own design.
The snake represents a legacy of three generations: his grandfather, his father and himself. Laporta described the design as a way to create something meaningful that connects him to his family.
“I think it’s the one thing that, like, you have to know for sure that you want to get it forever, and it’s kind of meaningful,” Laporta said.
Laporta said he plans to continue adding tattoos, eventually getting additional pieces to fill out his arm.
While some students look to family for inspiration, others turn to their interests and favorite forms of entertainment.
Sophomore sustainable development major Henry Kight has three tattoos, including a dragon with an axe for a wing and a character called Dry Bones from the Mario franchise. The first tattoo he received was with his mother, while his other designs were chosen simply because he liked them.
Rather than following one specific aesthetic, Kight said he chooses tattoos based on what catches his attention.
“I just think of whatever looks cool,” Kight said.
Senior building sciences major Alex Bender took a more family-centered approach to his first tattoo. His design features his daughter’s name, Iris, alongside her birthday written in Roman numerals.
Bender said he wanted the tattoo to resemble writing found in an ancient text or scroll, using an ornate, gothic European calligraphy style.
He plans to continue the same design throughout his arm, eventually adding the names of his future children and other family members.
“It’s something that’s going to be on your body forever. So it kind of explains who you are, or at least who you were in that moment,” Bender said.
Bender hopes his future tattoos will create one cohesive design rather than a collection of unrelated pieces. He describes his vision as a mural of his life, with each tattoo representing something important to him.
For Reece Hudgins, a sophomore psychology major, tattoos are a combination of personal memories, interests and designs she enjoys.
Among her tattoos is a paw print belonging to her cat who died. She also has a quote from a poem that was written for her and a chicken tattoo she got simply because she wanted it.
Hudgins said her tattoos have helped her feel more comfortable in her own body.
“I feel more myself when I have tattoos,” Hudgins said.
Angelina Gonzalez, a sophomore art major, took a different approach, finding inspiration through music.
Gonzalez has a tattoo inspired by her favorite Arctic Monkeys song, “One For The Road.” She chose it as a reminder to keep moving forward when life becomes difficult.
“I just kind of wanted to get it quoted to kind of remind myself that even though things get rough, I can’t let that overcome me,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said her future tattoos will continue to reflect her favorite things, each one representing a part of who she is.
“I feel like it gets kind of the point of who you are across without you having to say much,” Gonzalez said.
Each tattoo reflects the inspiration behind it and tells a different story. For App State students especially, the artwork becomes more than something displayed on their skin. It is a lasting part of their identity and personal style.
