High School Student Surprises Choir Teacher with Tattoo Tribute, Leaving Him Speechless (Exclusive)
A Michigan high school student named Josie, 16, went viral on TikTok for getting a tattoo in honor of her choir and theater teacher, Jacob Salisbury
Josie tells PEOPLE she got inked after learning that Mr. Salisbury would be leaving his job to go back to school
She tells PEOPLE about their close bond and the meaning behind her tattoo
In a small town in Michigan, high school choir and theater director Jacob Salisbury has been forming something special with his students, one of whom he affected so greatly and positively that she decided to get a tattoo in his honor.
Josie, 16, recently went viral on TikTok for sharing that she had gotten a tattoo in honor of the teacher she says "practically saved" her mental health just by allowing her the freedom to be unapologetically herself.
The pair met when Josie was in seventh grade before she joined Salisbury's class. Their friendship eventually blossomed into something transformative and beautiful for the teenager, as she tells PEOPLE, he encouraged her to be herself and helped her through some tough times.
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"Sal [Josie's nickname for Mr. Salisbury] and I have an awesome bond. We eat lunch together, I do voice lessons with him and we spend countless hours after school for theater productions. He's such an influence on me because he isn't afraid to be himself. He had a large impact on my mental health because, without him, I wouldn't have joined choir and become myself," Josie tells PEOPLE.
As she reflects on how much she's grown, Josie says without Mr. Salisbury's guidance, she "would still be the anxiety-filled and depressed" person she felt she was in her younger years. "Choir made me want to come to school, helped me find amazing friends, and [encouraged me] to be who I am today."
When Josie found out Mr. Salisbury — who went viral on TikTok back in 2024 for reacting to his chorus' musical rendition of the "Crazy? I was Crazy Once..." meme — would be leaving his job to go back to school, she wanted to commemorate their time spent together with a tattoo. "I always want to be reminded of him and how proud he is of me, so I figured I would get it."
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In a follow-up video to her first TikTok post, which has over 1 million likes as of writing, Josie shared a close-up look at the fresh ink on her wrist, which depicts a treble clef and bass clef coming together to make a heart, just like the earrings Mr. Salisbury wears to "every concert."
"I was very nervous to show him because I had no clue how he would react," Josie admits of how she was feeling before the big reveal. But, Mr. Salisbury's wonderfully shocked expression proves he felt otherwise. "I think it went really well. I will truly never forget Mr. Salisbury, and I hope he knows how much of an impact he had on my life," she adds.
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