Janel Berdiago

Connect What inspired your most recent tattoo?

portrait of my mom—my biggest inspiration. She raised us as a single mom, working multiple jobs and never once backing down from life's curveballs. She taught me what it means to hustle with heart and to love with the purest intentions to never give up on yourself or your goals

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

"You are power in motion. You are the dream and the drive. Keep going." "You don't need permission to take up space “ my declaration of moving forward, even when life throws punches. As a woman over 40 in the medical field, l've faced the side-eye-the stigma that tattoos aren't "professional" or "pretty." But I refuse to shrink myself. My ink is proof that beauty isn't one-size-fits-all. It's bold. It's fearless. It's art

What would you do with the $25,000?

First, l'd give my family something we've never had: a real vacation. We've never seen the world beyond our city because life just hasn't made it easy. I'd help finish paying for my daughter's nursing school-she's chasing her dreams, and I want to help her fly. And I'd build something for us. Something that brings some freedom, stability, and space to breathe.