Zach Lee and Oliver Zorich 

Seniors Oliver Zorich (he/him) and Zach Lee (he/him) have matching “crunk” tattoos on the inside of their lips. They both said that the tattoo’s placement was practical since they’re not in a visible spot. The placement was also convenient considering they had an upcoming football season, and it’s not ideal to get freshly tattooed skin sweaty. Zorich and Lee defined crunk as “high in energy and emotion,” which is a motto they hope to uphold for the rest of their senior year. Lee said that they made the decision to get the matching tattoos impulsively.

“Basically Oliver comes to school back in September, and he’s like, ‘We should get tattoos after school.’ And then we went to some tattoo place, and we got tattoos,” Lee said.

 Zorich said that his parents were initially displeased with his decision, but his mom knew he wanted a tattoo in the near future. Lee said that his mom was slightly more blindsided by the new ink.

“I reposted a picture of it on my Instagram, and she wasn’t too happy. She went up to my friends later at the football game and was like ‘You guys, what does crunk even mean?’”

Zorich and Lee thanked the senior class, as a portion of the money that the two collected for their non-Inglemoor affiliated homecoming party went to fund the $100 tattoos. 

Jordan Hentel

Senior Jordan Hentel (she/her) has wanted a tattoo since she was 14. With parental consent and a consultation with a notary, Hentel got her first tattoo in June while in Florida. The tattoo is of a dandelion with its seeds blowing away and turning into birds on her right bicep. The stem of the dandelion is the logo of National Eating Disorder Awareness. She said it represents recovery and reminds her to stay strong.

“I think when I turn 18, I’m gonna get a few more,” Hentel said, adding that she isn’t sure what they will be yet. 

“I think the main important thing is it has an important meaning behind it. I know that I’ll always need the reminder. It always means something to me,” Hentel said. “I think I’ll always be appreciative of it.” 

Elle Winn 

Senior Elle Winn (she/her) didn’t expect to return from her summer vacation in Greece with a heart tattooed on her inner index finger, but that’s exactly what she ended up with. 

“I was there with my best friend, and we just thought ‘Why not?’ Just me and my best friend being best friends; that’s its meaning,” Winn said. 

 Winn was still a minor at 17 when she got the tattoo without her guardian’s approval, which she said resulted in some harsh consequences when her mom discovered it during a game of UNO. 

“She was really mad…which made  me upset, but I didn’t really care.”

Winn added that despite her mom’s disapproval, Winn is satisfied with how the tattoo turned out and doesn’t expect to regret it in the future. 

“I like it, it’s small, it’s cute. I think I’ll still like it in ten years; it’s hella concealed,” Winn said. 

Despite feeling that the $50 price tag was too steep, Winn hopes to get more tattoos in the future, including one on her lip.

Mickenze Maestas

Senior Mickenze Maestas (she/her) had wanted tattoos for years before

getting her first two in March last year. While on a trip to Michigan, where minors can get tattoos with parental consent, Maestas scheduled her first-ever appointment. She got her first two tattoos in one sitting: a crescent moon behind her ear and the word  “breathe” in cursive on her left bicep.

“The one behind my ear, me and my mom got together because she has kind of always said to me, ‘I love you to the moon and back,’” Maestas said. 

Maestas said the cursive lettering on her bicep was a self-affirmation she wanted to have.

“I have always wanted a tattoo in that spot, and then I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just getting a little word,’ kind of like self-affirmation or something,” she said. 

Maestas thinks she’ll still be happy with her tattoos as she gets older and plans to get more, including an infinity symbol on her wrist and a bouquet on the back of her arm.

Natchely Narvaez Arenas 

Junior Natchely Narvaez Arenas (she/her)  gave herself her first tattoo via stick and poke at the age of 11.  Over the years, Narvaez Arenas has gotten six more tattoos and doesn’t intend on stopping  there. 

“My first tattoo was a heart, but I messed it up, and I’m just gonna cover it. This other one was supposed to be a cross, but I also messed it up, so I just went over and did the part on the bottom,” Narvaez Arenas said. “They don’t really have a meaning, it was just 11-year-old Natchely being stupid.” 

Narvaez Arenas has since added numerous tattoos, including a flower and the words “Amor propio,” that were done by her friend with a tattoo gun. 

“This one says ‘Amor propio,’ which means self love,” Narvaez Arenas said.  “It’s just a reminder for me, that’s why it’s there. It’s always good to love yourself.”   

She said that while her parents initially reacted negatively to tattoos, her mom has since accepted them. She got a tattoo depicting a Calla lily, intertwined with her mothers name, in her honor. 

“My mom was like, ‘No way that’s real.’ She started crying and she was like ‘Stop doing that. Don’t do anymore, that’s your last one.’ She was happy and mad at the same time. She knows I’m gonna do it regardless,” Narvaez Arenas said.  

Nordic News encourages consulting a licensed tattoo artist at a legal age before getting a tattoo.