Kaylyn Rhodes
Kaylyn Rhodes was celebrating her friend’s birthday with dinner and bowling. The 20-year-old UF advertising senior was kind of bored, so naturally, she ended up in a tattoo shop.
Nearly one year later, Rhodes now walks with a mouthful of black ink. She pulled down her bottom lip to reveal “gataz” printed neatly in all lowercase –– the z just fits her personality.
“I vibe with it,” she said. “It gives an extra flare.”
She usually forgets the lip tattoo is there but is considering adding a picture of a gator under the message. It was done on a whim, but Rhodes said getting a tattoo was something she wanted for a while. It shows her collegiate pride in a positive way.
“You know what? I’m in college, this is the only time I’ll tattoo something Gators,” Rhodes said.
Daniel Gato
Daniel Gato’s orange and blue “swamp life” tattoo started as a bet in a high-stakes Monopoly game his freshman year.
The first to go bankrupt had to draw a random slip of paper from a bowl full of tattoo drawings.
Gato lost his money and the bet.
The 21-year-old Santa Fe economics junior says he didn’t get the worst design of the bunch. Other doodles included a unicorn and a Florida State University drawing.
“Originally I was going with the flow in the moment but the day after I got it I was like ‘why did I do this?’” Gato said.
But Gato strategically placed it on his left thigh. Hidden on first glance but willing to show it when friends ask. Two years later, he loves the colorful message.
Mike Foley
One professor’s UF pride is worn under his sleeve.
Mike Foley’s daughter, who was attending UF at the time, said she wanted to get her bellybutton pierced. Naturally, Foley tagged along for some father-daughter bonding.
About fifteen years later, a miniature gator figure marks the right arm of the UF journalism professor. It’s a symbol he knows he’ll honor the rest of his life.
“That’s the one thing about my life that’s never going to change. You have girlfriends, but you’re always going to be a Gator. So why not?” Foley said.
One reason Foley doesn’t have any other tattoos is because the needle makes him feel as if he is “being stung by a bee a thousand times.”
Over the years, Foley thought about getting it retouched or adding the years that the UF Gators were the national champions.
But for now, the green alligator, faded from years of teaching and cheering on his beloved football team, serves as a permanent reminder of Foley’s love for his alma mater.
Christopher Bonilla
Eight cheeks; four tattoos; one permanent UF pride.
Christopher Bonilla graduated from the university in December but wanted to memorialize his time at UF. He and his three friends decided to tattoo their right butt cheeks.
The location was chosen because the group is very body positive and wants to show off their assets.
“We kind of, just in general, are very comfortable with our body and like to show our a-- to people,” he said.
Each of the friends’ right cheeks are ink-stained with a different design honoring the university. They proudly share the art at football tailgates by cutting holes in their jean shorts.
“Everybody loves it, they think the tattoos are great and very ‘Florida Gators,’” Bonilla said.
