Over summer break, senior Dayana Sanchez Camarillo turned her love of art into self-expression, adding six tattoos in less than three months. Each design holds a personal meaning, reflecting her growth, creativity and connection to family.

Her first tattoo, placed above her right knee, reads “mañana será bonito,” meaning “tomorrow will be beautiful.” She got it during a trip to the tattoo shop with her mom.

“I tagged along to one of my mom’s appointments and ended up getting my first tattoo,” Sanchez said. “It’s matching with my mom, and to me, it symbolizes that there is always a chance for hope.”

Soon after, she added a sun on her right arm above the elbow. It’s another shared design with her mom, who chose a moon.

“She always said I was her sunshine as a kid,” Sanchez said. “It just made sense that I’d get the sun and she’d get the moon.”

Her other tattoos include a cluster of dragonflies circling the sun—representing the close friends and family who surround her daily—a widow spider, a flower and the year 1989 on her inner arm, a date that holds family significance.

When journalism adviser David Stevens saw Sanchez walk into class, he was stunned.

“I was surprised when I saw her with them,” Stevens said. “I thought they were fake and that she’d lost a bet.”

For Sanchez, each tattoo is more than ink—it’s identity.

“I’ve been drawing on myself since I could pick up a pen,” she said. “Now it feels like my body is a walking art gallery. I don’t plan to cover myself completely, but I do want at least three more. They’re like my permanent accessories.”

As she adjusts to her new look, Sanchez said her tattoos remind her daily of who she is—and how far she’s come.