The eagerness for freedom and the anxiety you have to leave, go to college and never come back, can leave you forgetting where you came from in the first place. But, this is not the case for senior Nate Cooper. The Indianapolis skyline tattooed on his forearm will always remind him where he came from. This is only part of his tattoo, though. There is also a clock in front of the skyline. The clock signifies time, which in turn signifies how Cooper wants to take his time and not blow through life.

Location is just as important as any other factor when getting a tattoo. You have to decide on a place where you can easily cover it in case you have an important meeting or interview, but you also want it to be in a place where you can see it. Cooper managed to find a perfect position for his: right on his forearm.

“I can cover it up with long sleeves, but in my opinion, I feel like there is no point in having a tattoo if you’re not going to always see it, especially if it’s of significance,” Cooper said.

Nate got his tattoo the day after he turned 18, so he was of age and was able to get it anyway, no matter how others felt. His mom had not been happy that he wanted to get one, but, once old enough, he felt it didn’t matter.

“My mom was upset in the beginning,” Cooper said. “She didn’t want me to get one, but I got it anyway and now she’s fine with it.”

Not everyone gets a tattoo that means something or is significant to their lives, but not in Cooper’s case. His tattoo has meaning to him and will continue to serve as a reminder of where he came from.