Photos by Erin Hassanzadeh
In college and in the business world tattoos are frequently hidden in an effort to look more professional. But these students have tattoos with background stories that are too meaningful not to share.
Name: Aly Schmidt
Age: 19
Number of tattoos: one
Year: sophomore
Studying: politics with business law concentration, music minor
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wis.
“It’s from Dr. Seuss’, ‘Oh the Places You Will Go.’ It’s one of my favorite books, and it reminds me to be a kid at heart.”
Name: Shawn June
Age: 22
Number of tattoos: two
Year: junior
Studying: writing
Hometown: Centerville, Iowa
“When I was 10, I was in a severe car accident. Four people were in the accident. Three were killed and one was my younger brother. When he died, he had the Saint Michael guardian angel, so I wanted that to be a part of me. In the accident, I broke my left leg in three places, so I decided for it to be on my left leg.”
Name: Nick Budden
Age: 20
Number of tattoos: one
Year: sophomore
Studying: marketing and public relations
Hometown: Dyersville, Iowa
“It’s a bass clef. I’m very involved in music, and it’s done a lot for my life. Music has always been the one constant despite any sort of change. The lettering is my name in Greek, which translates to victory of the people. I’ve always been involved in teams. Whether it was track and cross-country, choir or being in a band, I constantly need to remind myself to put the team above myself.”
Name: Ian Wells
Year: sophomore
Number of tattoos: one
Studying: electronic media
Hometown: Champaign, Ill.
“Music is very important to me. It’s a big part of my life. I’ve been playing bass since sixth grade. I can also play guitar and mess around on the drums. I was in a band called ‘Self-Assembled.’ We were a middle school punk band. We actually recorded a four-song demo album and took third place in battle of the bands in our town.”
Name: Ellen Calder
Age: 18
Number of tattoos: one
Year: Freshman
Studying: elementary education
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.
“My sister and I planned on getting the tattoos for three years. We got our matching tattoos done by the same person. Our parents got divorced, and it was ugly, so the lotus was symbolic because it rises through muck, and it’s still beautiful. It represents the possibility of coming out of an ugly situation strong.”
