Each year we ask our classmates a straightforward, simple question taken from the lines of a poem by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Mary Oliver. We share with you intimate and candid responses to this question, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Concept and photography: Tony Deifell, MBA 2002.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
There’s nothing like having the illusion shattered that everything on your team and at your company is fine.
But here I was bawling my eyes out in my car because there are no private spaces in a warehouse dealing with COVID, and reconciling with the fact that I had just unexpectedly uncovered harassment in my packing department. I had spent the last hour listening to Cole’s heartbreaking story. All he wanted was to feel safe at work and would do or give anything to achieve that. The company had failed him.
Listening to his experiences in the department, disciplining the bad actors in the department, and finding opportunities for Cole’s advancement were just some of the steps in bringing back his humanity. The physical separation from his harassers plus the years’ worth of bad reviews and no annual raises given to Cole’s attackers were not sufficient.
Not a day goes by that I don’t visualize Cole’s face and wish that I could have done more to help.
No one should face the unimaginable pain of an unsafe and unsupported workplace.
And so, with my one wild and precious life I hope to put people and their humanity first.
