Daisia Glover’s tattoo is a daily reminder of faith and optimism. Glover, a sophomore Spanish and sociology dual major, has a tattoo of a dove holding an olive branch on her upper back. After years of begging her parents, she got the tattoo the week before her 17th birthday.

In the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, a massive flood destroys the world, and Noah and his family are the only survivors. After the flood, Noah sends a dove out to determine if the waters had subsided. When the dove returned with an olive branch in its mouth, Noah knew that the water receded.

“To me, this meant that there is always a calm after the storm and that there will always be something good,” Glover said. “You just have to stay optimistic and be patient for the good thing that will come.”

Glover now has five tattoos in total, all sharing common themes of strength, faith and positivity. She has a crescent moon on her left wrist representing her zodiac sign, the words “You can do whatever you put your mind to,” the Egyptian Ankh and a lion with a lotus flower.

Glover attended Catholic school and was exposed to biblical stories at a young age. She remembers her grandmother, who was very religious, singing gospel songs at home and attending church regularly. When her grandmother passed away, Glover said she wanted to get the tattoo to remember her.

“I wanted something to make me feel like she’s always with me,” Glover said. “This tattoo means a lot of different things to me.”

Glover said religion is a guiding force in her life, although the busyness that comes along with college life sometimes makes it difficult to practice as much as she would like.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m not as focused as I want to be, but I think slowly but surely I’m starting to make that connection again with God,” Glover said.

Published on March 3, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Gigi: gantonel@syr.edu