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?
When I was twelve years old, I dyed my hair blue.
I hated my natural hair color—a light, unobtrusive brown—because it seemed way too boring. The deep, mysterious cyan that I chose instead was more aligned with the woman I wanted to be.
I wish I could say that my desire to stand out was a phase that ended in puberty, but my hair tells the real story. It’s been a dozen different colors over the years: Raven black during a goth phase in high school; varying shades of copper in college; and blonde to test the “they have more fun” hypothesis in my 20s. (Verdict: false.)
My drive to be exceptional extended to all facets of my life and I was rewarded for it with acceptances to prestigious schools and a successful career. Through all of my shapeshifting, though, I lived in fear of others finding out that I, like my natural hair color, was ordinary. To me, there could be no worse fate.
It took a long time for me to understand that my fight against appearing average was the wrong battle. Instead of focusing on being remarkable, I should have spent my energy being myself.
Today, nearly twenty years later, I’m finally happy as a brunette.
