Jacqueline San Nicolas got the word “Swim” tattooed in her own handwriting to remind herself to keep carrying on, and that there are other things in this world that are much bigger than her.

“I’m from California, so the ocean is the place I feel most comfortable,” the senior anthropology and English and textual studies double major said. “I feel comfortable in knowing there’s a lot of things in the world that don’t include me.”

San Nicolas’s tattoo also connects to her personally — not through sports, but as a way of therapy through music. “Swim” is the name of her favorite song by Jack’s Mannequin, and she says the song describes how she lives her life.

She said the song had two lyrics that described her life. The first is “I swim for brighter days despite the absence of sun,” and the second is, “swim from the music that saves you when you’re not sure you’ll survive.” San Nicolas said she uses this tattoo and all that it means to her to help her through tough times.

Going to school in Syracuse, San Nicolas said she has grown up and figured out what she wants to do with her life.

“I feel like I’ve grown up a lot here and I’m very confident in the identity I’ve built here,” she said.

San Nicolas plans to apply to graduate school for music therapy because she believes it is a representation of art that can heal.

“(Music therapy) connects to perseverance and the things you hold on to that will get you through anything,” she said. “I think it will give me some perspective of my values after I graduate and will remind me that, how you feel not is not how you will always feel.”

San Nicolas believes she finds it easier to show her identity through words rather than visual art, which is why she chose a word for her first tattoo. She said she believes that words are more concrete for her than an image.

Ironically, San Nicolas is not that great of a swimmer. She said she gets asked all the time if her tattoo relates to a swimming team she had participated on.

San Nicolas said her tattoo means a lot more than one could imagine when looking at one simple word. She sees it as a reminder of home and where she comes from. It even additionally alludes to her favorite movie, “Finding Nemo.”

This may be the first, but not the last tattoo for San Nicolas. She said she plans on getting a tattoo to represent Syracuse University.

“Maybe just the number 44, because it’s all around our campus and there are four years of college; I’m also the fourth in my family,” she said.

Published on September 26, 2016 at 8:26 pm