April 29, 2015 Royal Purple Staff Opinion Throughout our younger years, we are told we are unique and we should embrace our differences from one another. We are taught that self-expression is a good...

In a seemingly similar world, the act of standing out from other people is important for young adults, including many at UW-Whitewater. According to a 2006 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 36 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 25 had at least one tattoo. For freshman Emma Hagen, her tattoo experience was anything but ordinary. Hagen began the tattoo process at Fink Ink in downtown Whitewater by getting a cherry blossom tattooed on her left wrist. While in Japan, Hagen had her tattoo retouched and added the word “Sakura,” the Japanese translation for cherry blossom, to her wrist.