By Gabriel Luis (@gabelun):
Every piece of ink has a story behind it.
For San Jose State men’s soccer senior forward Jeremy Romero and freshman midfielder Kalei Tolentino-Perry, having a tattoo tells their stories and keeps them men of their morals.
When Romero got his first tattoo at the age of 18, his parents weren’t big fans, but that changed over time.
“When I got my first one, it made a big argument with my parents,” Romero said. “One day, they realized it’s me growing up in life.”
Some of Romero’s ink is featured on his wrist and reads “God is greater than my highs and lows” in symbols as well as the Philippians 4:13 scripture on his chest.
“You’re never alone, [God is] always by your side and that no matter what you can count on him,” Romero said.
Romero designed his wrist tattoo on his own and it’s something he standardizes to himself all the time.
“At my lowest point or my highest point, he is always greater,” Romero said.
He continuously described the importance of God and how his beliefs kept him motivated throughout the season.
Tolentino-Perry had both of his tattoos done when he was 18, but his family appeared to be slightly more supportive of the idea in the beginning compared to Romero’s parents.
Approval from Tolentino-Perry’s mother came easy, as she understood the importance of his father and how he influenced TP’s tattoo.
“Because my dad passed away, I have some meaning for him as well which is the bottom line [showing] he is the foundation of everything,” Tolentino-Perry said.
After taking a look at his signature ink, Tolentino-Perry appears to be very rooted in his Hawaiian culture as both of his tattoos display different parts of it.
His first one is very traditional and consists of symbols intertwined with other designs and patterns and the second tattoo displays scripture John 3:16 in native Hawaiian.
The story behind Tolentino-Perry’s tattoos run deep, as he showcased multiple aspects of his life and his values in a few simple designs.
He described how different symbols on his arm tattoo represented a variety of things including his passion for hunting along with his family.
“The fish and the ocean represents my passion for the ocean,” Tolentino-Perry said.
Tolentino-Perry explained a lot of his background for the tattoos are based around his father’s role in his life.
As he described different symbols on his arm it was clear to see every part of the tattoo was thought out and placed in areas to deepen the meaning behind them.
The essence of each piece is different for every individual, but for these two SJSU players, the ink helps keep them on track and stay true to themselves.