Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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Tat-Tuesday: Students share stories behind the ink

TATTUESDAYS0908_logo_MelanieWestfall
Melanie Westfall

Editor’s note: Tat-Tuesday is a weekly series that features students around campus and their tattoos.

Photos by Angie Huang

Bradley Byrom


To ensure his parents wouldn’t get mad about his two forearm tattoos, philosophy senior Bradley Byrom dedicated his new ink to them for their anniversary. 

“My dad collected elephant figurines all throughout my childhood, and my mom did the same thing with turtles, so I incorporated that into the tattoos,” Byrom said.

Byrom said his plan worked, and his parents reacted positively to his tattoos.

“They loved it. They even encouraged me to get more and thought about getting their own,” Byrom said.

Samantha Haight

Environmental science senior Samantha Haight has a tattoo of a bluebonnet on her right arm.

“I have really fond memories of stopping to take pictures of bluebonnets growing up,” Haight said. “I don’t plan on staying in Texas forever, and I wanted a part of it to stay with me, so I choose the bluebonnet as my homage to Texas.”

Haight said her major also plays into the tattoo.

“I love wildflowers and natural wildlife,” Haight said. “I don’t think anyone should mow their lawns; they should just cover them in wildflowers.”

Mazell Mitasky

Mazell Mitasky, a human development and family sciences senior, has a tattoo of a sugar skull and rose on her right arm.

“When I was growing up, I used to get made fun of for being white or light-skinned,” Mitasky said. “I decided to get the tattoo to remind me of who I am.”

The sugar skull is used in the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos — or “Day of the Dead.” Though it symbolizes her heritage, Mitasky’s family had mixed reactions to her tattoo.

“My mom didn’t talk to me for a week after I got it,” Mitasky said, “But she’s grown to like it.”

Jimmy Tran

Mechanical engineering sophomore Jimmy Tran has 26.2 written in Roman numerals tattooed on his arm.

“The first thing I ever committed myself to was running the Chevron marathon in Houston,” Tran said. “It was my transition from being a teenager to becoming an adult.”

Since then, however, Tran said he has stopped running.

“That was my first and only marathon, but I wanted to remember that moment, so I got 26.2, the length of the marathon, tattooed on my arm,” Tran said.

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Tat-Tuesday: Students share stories behind the ink