I just had an interview with such an inspiring girl. She told me the most interesting story I have ever heard of her experience on campus after she shaved her head completely to raise money for childhood cancer research. “There was a lot of confusion, and even more staring, but I didn’t care,” she said.

I also got to experience what that feels like means when seemingly every single student passing by on campus took their time to take their eyes off the phone to check out my T-shirt. Apparently, a shirt with a massive Jack Daniel’s logo is out of the ordinary on a Tuesday morning in Bowling Green. Thank God all my professors have a good sense of humor. I don’t remember such a reaction being experienced at home. I think I stopped wearing the same shirt when I saw five other girls with the same thing on. Talk about cultural differences…

But that’s not what the story is about. The story is about taking chances, experimenting and not being concerned what other people may think or say.

Here I would like to quote Russian fashion news site Buro 24/7 founder Miroslava Duma: “The one who doesn’t do anything doesn’t make any mistakes.”

Sometimes I wonder why so many girls are so into all the Pinterest stuff and magazines. Basically, the question is: why do you spend enormous amount of time creating boards and looking for pictures if you don’t implement the ideas in your own life? The same applies to magazines — it’s time and money after all.

Kudos to a lot of girls I see from all the artsy majors on our campus they experiment; they stick out and it’s interesting to watch them. If any of the famous street-style photographers would get lost and find themselves on our campus, I would definitely send them straight to the Fine Arts Center because that’s where most of the experimental and daring fashion on campus can be seen.

I completely agree that sometimes some outfits are over the top, but it is impossible to please everyone. Even people who are considered the most stylish in the world, such as Duma herself, make mistakes and acknowledge it. However, the truth is, if you never try to be different, or you suppress your unique identity, you will always be in the same place. We develop personalities and our sense of style should develop with. What worked back in the day may not work now.

Do you really feel like the same person you were couple of years ago — shy and not willing to stick out in the gossipy halls of high school? I think college is the right place; and the present is the right time to find out who you are and what you like, but it can only be done if you are not scared of what others will think. Make it about you — experiment, have fun and make mistakes.