 "Photo: Mike Gold/The Penn")
Thamita Rodrigues (freshman, international studies) came to IUP to open opportunities for herself in the job markets of Brazil and the U.S. Though her brother lives in New York, the majority of Rodrigues' family and friends reside in the northeast of Brazil.
Wherever she goes, the Sao Luis native carries her family with her.
Rodrigues carries her father, a geologist who frequently went away on mineral exploration trips, as an orchid flourishing on her left shoulder. When he traveled into the Amazon and other areas, he always returned with an orchid.
Now that her parents are divorced, her father lives in another part of Brazil. Though she never told him that the tattoo was for him, Rodrigues believes that her father knows she wanted to bring him closer to her.
Fluttering up her lower back are butterflies, to represent her three cousins and herself. The strong relationship between the four girls feels like sisterhood to Rodrigues, though they rarely see each other.
"We've always been spread out. I am here. One is in the south of Brazil, one is in another state in Brazil, and one, from Rio de Janeiro, died of a heart condition at 16," said Rodrigues.
She would like to distinguish the butterfly that symbolizes her Rio de Janeiran cousin from the others, by adding to the tattoo as to make it stand out from the other butterflies.
Fabiona Montenegro, a Brazilian tattoo artist of Oxente Tattoo in Brazil, created all of Rodrigues' work and will continue to do so. When she returns in December, Montenegro will add a Japanese flower to the canvas of Rodrigues' right shoulder.
Though Rodrigues says she prefers tattoos of elements of nature, he will also add a Brazilian flag to her inner wrist.
Rodigues' friends tease her that she wants the tattoo because she's living abroad, but Rodrigues said that it is because she considers herself a nationalist. She and her mother had planned on getting matching tattoos of the Brazilian flag, but her mother couldn't wait for her.
"People in Latin America have a strong love for their country. I want to go back and do something for my country," Rodrigues said.
First, she will finish her degree at IUP and build up her resume as the corresponding secretary of the Latino Student Organization and member of the International Business Association and French Club.
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