Tattoos are an expression of who we are as individuals. Senior Natasha Rondao has three tattoos, all of which have special meaning in her life.

She sees the power that tattoos hold for people, but she did not always know that she wanted to get one herself.

“I had never really thought about getting one until I started performing in an activity called Drum Corps every summer. When I started I was one of the youngest members—16 at the time. I was performing alongside college-age students, so I was constantly surrounded by tattoos and hearing the different stories behind them,” she said.

Rondao and the rest of her corps, the Bluecoats, had just placed 3rd at the Drum Corps World Championships in 2010 when they all decided to get tattoos of their team motto. Located on her wrist, the tattoo reads “six words.”

Those six words are “you are not better than me.”

“It is a constant reminder to always strive for more and to never quit no matter the circumstances. It was our way of encouraging each other and reminding each other that we were all there for a reason: to be the best we could possibly be while working together to achieve something great,” she said.

Rondao’s second tattoo is a heart connecting to an infinity sign on her shoulder. She got the tattoo with someone she shares a very special relationship with—her mother.

“Ever since I was little, we have been best friends. She’s the best, and honestly we have a really unique relationship. You can ask anyone who knows me and they’ll say that nothing can come between my mom and me. One day she decided she was going to get a tattoo. I was completely shocked and definitely didn’t think it was going to happen. But then it did!”

Rondao’s third tattoo is a wolf paw print located on her hip.

“This is kind of a personal one for me. Wolves are my favorite animal, and for as long as I can remember I have been incredibly blunt, honest, dominant, and even aggressive with my beliefs and attitude,” she said.

She got the wolf tattoo because “they are strong, dominant animals, but they also are very valent and protective. [My tattoo] reminds me to always be who I am, but to constantly be working forward to grow and use my talents to help others.”

Follow Samantha on Twitter @samanthdriscoll