I recently read an article where someone was saying how tattoos are stupid and are not effective ways to express yourself. However, sometimes they are a symbol of something that nobody knows about. My favorite tattoo that I have is a semicolon with a heart instead of a dot. I got this tattoo to remind myself to always keep going and never forget to love myself. Growing up I was always called fat, criticized for having curly hair, called an "N" word on a daily basis, and always told I would not amount to anything. Over time, you start to believe the things people call you and it starts to take a little piece of you every time they say it. Eventually, you just become numb to it all together until one day you just decide that enough is enough. Nobody ever knew how miserable I really was living in a place where I was always belittled. It happened so often that it became easy to overlook teachers questioning my work, my cross country coach purposely excluding my friend and I from participating in an away meet. We were both dressed and ready to go and she made us get on the bus last before telling us there wasn't enough room on the bus despite there being five empty rows. And the pain of having the only guy I had the courage to express that I like turn me down because he said I was too fat for him. To the person with the semicolon tattoo I would like to say I have been in your shoes. I know how it feels to think that there is no way out, and I am proud that like me, you chose to continue. To the person with a semicolon tattoo I would like to let you know that it does get better. In psychology I learned that your environment dictates how you feel and I truly believe that is true. As my first year of college is rapidly coming to an end, I can't help but feel sad knowing the wonderful life I have created for myself is coming to a close. I have made more friends in the nine months that I have been at school, than in the nineteen years I lived in Palos Verdes. To the person with the semicolon tattoo, I would like to say to you that you will have these types of friends as well. I never thought it would be possible to have individuals express on a daily basis how much they love me and what a joy it is to have me in their lives. I never thought in a million years that being called an "N" word everyday would transform into "you are a ray of sunshine". To the person with the semicolon tattoo, I want you to know that like me, you will have your moment. You will have a moment, or a series of moments where you are sitting in your dorm room, at a table surrounded by your friends, or somewhere you love and think about how far you have come. You will think about the amazing people you have met, the smiles they have put on your face and the endless laughter they have created. You will find a spot on campus, or wherever you are living and feel the wind on your face as you think about how beautiful the world is. To the person with a semicolon tattoo, I hope in between those moments of bliss that you are proud of yourself. You should be proud of the person you are now, the many things you have accomplished, and the wonderful things that are to come. To the person with a semi colon tattoo I hope you find as much happiness as I have and have come to terms with everything that happened to you. If there is anything I have learned growing up, it is that without all of the pain I would not be the same person I am today. Do not let your circumstances break you because there is a greater bliss that awaits you when you finally have the courage to get away. To the person with a future semicolon tattoo, I urge you to keep fighting because I can't wait for the day when you look up at the sky and know that on this earth is where you truly belong.