Junior Alexandria Scarpaci and her mom have matching tattoos on their wrists to remember a life-changing trip they took to Bali over the summer.

She and her mom spent two weeks in the summer rescuing baby turtles and decided to get tattoos together to commemorate the experience.

“I want to continue doing the volunteer trips, and I think it shows how much fun I had on the first one and how it was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Scarpaci said.

Scarpaci is just one of the Baldwin students and teachers who have embraced tattoos in recent years. Many of these tattoos commemorate important people or events, while others are chosen for their design.

Math teacher Bryan Black has some tattoos, including his daughters’ names and initials on his forearms and biceps, as well as a dragon on his leg.

“I just wanted a first one, and the dragon one was cool because I kind of liked dragons and serpents,” Black said. “I didn’t want to be too cheesy, so I figured the dragon was a good mix.”

Art teacher Nicole Flannery also has some tattoos dedicated to her family.

“The most meaningful tattoo I have is my mom’s portrait. It is her high school graduation photograph,” Flannery said. “I treasure that one the most because I had it done soon after she passed away. I feel like I have a constant visual reminder of her.”

In addition, senior Zaynah El-Maghrabi has a portrait of her sphinx cat on her wrist.

El-Maghrabi said tattoos have been an occasion for a get-together for her family, as they book a studio, order pizza to eat there, and all get tattoos. 

This bonding experience is also what has inspired El-Maghrabi to take an interest in being a tattoo artist as a career. The idea came from a joking suggestion from her mother, and it’s been on her mind ever since.

Family is an important factor in history teacher Natalie Kohnfelder’s tattoos. She has a sunflower tattoo on her shoulder that represents each member of her family: her mother, father, and brother. 

Some, like junior Arpan Basnet, have religious tattoos. He has a tattoo of a Buddhist mantra that is repeated in rituals, with a lotus flower stemming from one of the letters.

He has always wanted a tattoo dedicated to his religious beliefs, and it took him about a month to decide on design and placement after speaking to close friends and family, Basnet said.

Science teacher Michael Slania, who is most known throughout the school for his full arm sleeve, has tattoos dedicated to significant art or events in his life.

“I love horror movies, so I have a bunch for that, and I enjoy art, so I have The Great Wave and some other small art by Hokusai,” Slania said. “My wife and I have pizza tattoos because our first date was at a pizza place, and some other ones.”

Similarly, ASL teacher Lindsey Graney has a few related to her interests and beliefs.

“I have one under my watch that says ‘balance’ because I think everything in life should be balanced,” Graney said.

Others have tattoos that are simply for the memories and interesting designs. Senior Megan Murphy had always wanted a tattoo and acted on her design decision quickly.

“I was super excited, and ended up picking a reference and changing it up a bit, and then I got it within three hours of me picking what I was getting,” Murphy said.

Murphy’s designs consist of black and red stars on her stomach and a skull with two tongues on her arm.

Even though Murphy made her decision quickly, she does not regret it. 

“I don’t think I’ll regret them when I’m older, but I may regret the placement of the stars I got,” Murphy said. “Because they are on my stomach, that skin can stretch if too much weight is gained, and it will distort the star’s color and shape.”

For a long time, there was a stigma about getting tattoos. That has shifted since today’s younger generation considers them to be a form of self-expression. 

While 16-year-olds can get tattoos with a guardian’s consent, some people wonder if that age is too young to make such a decision. Flannery, for one, thinks 16- and 17-year olds are not mature enough to make such a permanent decision. 

“I firmly believe that no one should get a tattoo until they are at least 18 years old,” Flannery said. “And even then, you really should be sure to make sure it’s something that has importance to you and that it is done by a credible and clean tattooer.”

She recommends that teenagers and younger people wait until they are a bit older to make significant decisions, such as getting a tattoo. 

Graney, however, got her tattoos at a young age.

“Each tattoo represents different parts of my life, so I should be grateful for it. But looking back, I wish that I had maybe waited or thought about it,” Graney said.

Black was a college student when he got his first.

For him, the key is that “it’s tasteful or has some meaning. I don’t want to see vulgar tattoos,” Black said. “But I know some get like a date of a grandfather passing or a butterfly to represent something. I think it’s okay.”

El-Maghrabi has a few tattoos she got once she turned 16. So far, she has no regrets.

“Some high school students in general are too immature for tattoos, but that’s almost the point of some tattoos, which is that it’s something that you wanted in that moment and something you can look back on,”  El-Maghrabi said.

Scarpaci has noticed a trend that she thinks some teenagers might eventually regret.

“I think a lot of people are getting their tattoos done by their friends who just have some ink and a needle. So I think that anyone is just doing whatever they want to seem cooler without having any kind of meaning, and they’re going to regret it later on in their lives,” Scarpaci said.

Basnet, though, believes upperclassmen are old enough to decide whether they want art permanently on their bodies.

“When you’re around your junior and senior year of high school, you have a good basis of your interests and things you like,” Basnet said. “Of course, it’s a large decision on whether or not you want it on you permanently, but overall, I think high school students are old enough to.”

Getting a tattoo is not only a permanent decision, but it can also have some drawbacks in some career fields. However, in recent years, some employers have become more accepting of tattoos than others.

“With the exception of the tattoo that I’ve most recently gotten, every tattoo I have on me is hidden,” Graney said. “I think society expects teachers to be very clean-cut and not have any piercings or tattoos, but luckily, I feel like that stigma has really changed.”

Slania agrees that the stigma still could be the reason a person could miss out on a job opportunity in some fields.

“Hand, face, neck tattoos could be career killers just because of how you look,” Slania said. “You could be the perfect fit because you are knowledgeable and skilled, but they don’t want someone with that look.”

Although they may have some effect on whether someone qualifies for a job, Slania believes that shouldn’t deter anyone from getting one.

Dr. Rachel Sprouse, BWSD’s Deputy Superintendent for Student and Employee Services, oversees the hiring process for the district. She said standards and expectations for employees have progressed over the years.

“Over the past decade, there has been a noticeable shift in how society and education view tattoos,” Sprouse said. “We are also seeing a more diverse pool of teacher candidates, including individuals entering education after successful careers in other professions where tattoos were more common or accepted.”

Tattoos are not prohibited in the district’s policies and employee handbooks. But there are still expectations for staff, Sprouse said. 

“All employees are expected to maintain a professional appearance consistent with their role as educators and role models for students,” Sprouse said. “As societal norms continue to evolve, the district periodically reviews dress and appearance expectations to ensure they reflect both professionalism and inclusivity.”

Anthony Paolo has been a lawyer for 12 years and currently works as an attorney at GRB Law in Pittsburgh. Paolo acknowledges that the stigma about tattoos has changed in the last 20 years or so. It hasn’t personally affected him because he does not have any tattoos, though he knows some attorneys who do. 

“People are generally more accepting of visible tattoos, because a lot more people have tattoos now, including attorneys,” Paolo said. “Still, having a tattoo – its size, design, and location – all says something about you.”

“Tattoos are an accepted form of self-expression, but there is a time and place for self-expression. When I am in the courtroom, I am there not on my own behalf, but to represent someone else,” Paolo said. “How I present myself is important, because I don’t want the judge to hold my appearance against my client.”

Scarpaci, meanwhile, plans to become a biomedical robotics engineer. She does not believe her tattoo will affect her career.

“I don’t think it will really affect my chances that much because a lot of people in the world have a tattoo,” Scarpaci said.