“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
The edge is where fear ends and faith begins. With these words replaying in my mind as a rhythmic chant, I went skydiving. At the same time in my life, I found myself at an impasse, debating whether to leave the only job I had ever known. I contemplated this dilemma while ascending to 13,500 feet. As the turbo-prop carried me above the clouds, I began to question my fear of jumping out the plane, of jumping out of my comfort zone. I had to take the risk to experience the glory. Tumbling into free fall amid cotton-candy clouds, I felt my energy surge. When my parachute opened, sound stopped and my mind cleared. If I could take this leap of faith, then I could forge a nontraditional path for my career.

Throughout my life with my fiancé (Michael Holt HBS '02) and our future children, I plan to continually stretch the limits of our capabilities. As one who thrives on passion and creativity, I plan to take more adventures in uncertainty, perhaps one day as the business director for a world-renowned dance company or in my own design empire. The experience of skydiving helped me realize that by challenging my beliefs and stepping out on faith, I have opened myself to a world of possibility. Today, I still walk 11 inches above the ground.

— Makyha-Tiana Bowles