Topper Tats scours St. Edward’s University to bring you the stories behind the most creative, the most meaningful and the most what-was-I-thinking tattoos inked on our students. 

It is no secret that St. Edward’s University is a place where individuality is celebrated. Sometimes, the best way to express individuality is through a tattoo.

Tattoos are a form of personal expression. Whether it be a dancing skeleton on your thigh or an outline of Texas with the number 713 in it, each tattoo has its own story of where it came from and what it means.

St. Edward’s students have no problem fitting into the creative mold of Austin, and the tattoos found on campus are no different. Jordan Jimenez, a senior at St. Edward’s, shared her first tattoo experience. Four months after turning 18, Jimenez got her first tattoo done.

“It’s the signature of my favorite author, Haruki Murakami. I read all of his books in high school. I was looking him up one day and I saw his signature and thought that’s what I want. I just instantly knew,” Jimenez said.  

Jimenez’s tattoo is located on the back of her neck. It is both a work of art and a personal memento of that time in her life. Often tattoos can be judged as reckless acts of rebellion, but the reality is no one but the owner knows the deep reasoning behind each one.

Many tattoos represent personal hardships and life mantras. Kat Delgrand, a senior at St. Edward’s, says that her ankle tattoo came from a place of acceptance. It is of an open heart that represents the National Eating Disorders Association.

“I have struggled with food and my body image, physically and mentally, for most of my life. I got this tattoo not to represent or tell the world that I was living with an eating disorder; rather, it was more of a personal act—a constant reminder to myself that this was something I needed to overcome. I could no longer hide from it. I wanted and needed to remind myself that if I wanted to live, I had to learn to love myself,” Delgrand said.

The heart tattoo is a symbol of her continuing battles and triumphs over societal pressures.

On the hilltop, there are many tattoos. St. Edward’s teachers, students, and staff alike can all be found sporting ink that sets them apart from the masses. Tattoos prove anyone can express their personal identity through art.