Engaged and Empowered for Excellence

If you asked a younger Taylor Mackenzie Dickens Hale (Iota Iota-George Washington) if she envisioned herself graduating from one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious colleges, being crowned Miss Michigan USA, starting her own business as a personal stylist and becoming the first African American woman to ever win a noncelebrity edition of the hit CBS television series, “Big Brother”, she would have probably said … why not?

Growing up in Detroit, Taylor learned at an early age that confidence, determination and hard work were necessary for her to reach her full potential, and this mindset carried over into her adult years. Backed by an unyielding work ethic and an almost superhuman drive for success, Taylor is as brilliant and bold as she is beautiful and persevering. And with the Miss Michigan 2021 crown and a monumental “Big Brother” win in her back pocket, she’s only just getting started.

Taylor grew up within the city limits of Detroit — Michigan’s most populated metropolis with more than 630,000 residents — in a prosperous, predominantly Black area. However, her school experience was vastly different from her home life.

“As a child, I understood what Black success looked like,” Taylor recalled. “But I would enter another world at school where I was one of maybe four Black kids from the time I first started school in junior kindergarten throughout my years as a teenager in the upper school. I lived in this world where no matter how much I achieved or gained access to, I was still an outsider, So, even as a child, I had to navigate being exposed to just unimaginable wealth, access and privilege during the day while also having those things myself, but still being the minority throughout those hours at school. It was an interesting dichotomy, and it caused me to expand my mind at an early age, which I believe was a good thing.”

Experiencing this unique perspective not only thickened Taylor’s skin, but taught her that hard work, perseverance and drive were key to meeting her life goals. It also instilled a desire to live, study and work in a culturally diverse area where she could embrace a melting pot of people from various backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures and upbringings.

“When I was choosing where to attend college, it was crucial that I found a diverse city and campus,” Taylor said. “DC is beautiful and almost feels like a European city. And with all of the embassies, it’s incredibly diverse in a lot of different ways. I also didn’t want to go to a ‘typical’ college campus because while I love being involved, I’m not a big school spirit person. George Washington was the perfect place for me to land in this new city I wanted to make my home away from home.”

Why Alpha Phi?

For Taylor, a key factor in making Iota Iota and DC feel like home was embracing her new life as a collegian and making new friends. Alpha Phi was the perfect conduit for this endeavor.

“I remember meeting girls on campus and in my classes who were always so warm and friendly, and one of them told me I should try recruitment” Taylor recalled. “And I thought, ‘OK, people telling me that I’m smart, beautiful, talented and that I could contribute to their organizations in a lot of different ways? I’m sold.’”

It was also crucial to Taylor that she found a Greek organization that was culturally diverse and that encouraged its members to learn from one another’s experiences. Almost instantly after connecting with an Alpha Phi, she knew that was where she needed to be.

This organization is not you. You are the organization.

“Oddly enough, I connected with the first person I spoke with at Alpha Phi over our similar life experiences, and the fact that we had the same color of nail polish,” Taylor said. “Being in DC and going through recruitment, the girls were all politically minded, probably more than you’d find in other cities or college towns. So, I felt confident knowing that [Alpha Phi] had the brains, beauty, fun and a level of comfortability that made me feel at home. It was a match made in heaven from the jump.”

Taylor also mentioned how she viewed joining Alpha Phi as a worthwhile financial investment in herself and her future, both at George Washington and beyond.

“Every organization has dues that serve as a financial representation of your commitment level, so I was willing to make that investment in myself, my social life and my future both on campus and after graduation,” Taylor said. “I’m close with four girls from my pledge class, as well as my Little and my Grandlittle, and it’s weird if we go more than a few days without talking or texting.”

Taylor also recalled some of her fondest memories from college taking place when she lived on campus in the Iota Iota house.

“Of course, it’s fun to participate in events with other fraternities and sororities, philanthropies, campus happenings, etc. but there’s also so many goofy and fun things that happen just sitting on the couch at the house or in your room with your sisters and roommates,” Taylor said. “I lived in that house for about a year and a half, so a school year plus a summer, and there were so many fun things I was able to experience from being a part of Alpha Phi and living on campus. This experience was totally encompassing and energized my overall college experience.”

“I believe that your very best friends are truly your soulmates, and that friendship has this deeper love than even a romantic love or partnership, especially when it’s rooted in something as strong as an organization like Alpha Phi and a shared college experience.”

From a Pageant Stage to the TV Screen

Following graduation from George Washington, Taylor immersed herself into a passion-fueled career as a personal stylist, predominantly in men’s fashion designing custom suits.

“It was fun because I was able to play dress up at work on my clients,” Taylor explained. “It was a sales job at its core, but I was able to be creative, too.”

While Taylor enjoyed her career as a stylist in DC, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed her profession and its day-to-day operations, like so many around the world. This motivated her to move home to Detroit and pursue independent personal styling more seriously by opening her own business. It was during this transition that she also decided to prepare for and compete in the Miss Michigan USA pageant starting with some smaller competitions within the circuit.

Taylor kickstarted her pageant career by competing for Miss District of Columbia in 2017 while she was still attending George Washington. Despite this being her entry point to competitive pageantry, she finished in the top 15 bracket. Later, she went on to be crowned Miss Spirit of Detroit, Miss Pure Michigan in 2019 and the Miss Michigan USA 2020 runner-up.

Taylor went on to compete in Miss USA 2021, but didn’t place. She was, however, named Miss Congeniality.

Following her reign as Miss Michigan USA in 2021, Taylor received a direct message on Instagram from a CBS casting director encouraging her to audition for “The Amazing Race.” Taylor admitted she had no interest in that competition, but would be interested in auditioning for “Big Brother.” From there, she auditioned, secured her spot on the show and waited until it was time to compete.

Hale entered the “Big Brother” house with one goal in mind — to win. And to do so, she had to be strategic in her alliances and how she portrayed herself.

Her obvious wealth of confidence was a turnoff to other housemates who perhaps lacked confidence themselves, and from the beginning of the experience Taylor seemed to have a target on her back. It seemed almost weekly that she was “on the block,” which is “Big Brother” lingo for being up for elimination.

However, Taylor persevered and even learned things about herself in the process.

“I’m a person who is comfortable and confident being around other comfortable, confident women, and I genuinely enjoy lifting up and supporting other women,” Taylor said. “So, there was nothing that could have happened in that house that other women would have done that would intimidate me.”

But Taylor admitted that it was “mind-altering” for me to suddenly be thrown into a house with people who seemed to lack her degree of confidence and not only resent her for that, but project their own insecurities onto her, as well.

“I had to play a social game,” Taylor explained. “I worked my way from the bottom up — like the bottom of someone’s shoe — to get to those final two seats. And I didn’t do that by winning competitions or having the most ‘power.’ I did it through my influence. That was able to carry favor and influence others into taking me to the end. That’s the real power in this game.”

Taylor’s win marked the first time in “Big Brother” history that a Black woman had won the game and only the second time a Black person had won in its 24 seasons. When asked what this win meant to her, she said she believed her victory marked a new era on how to play the game.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MISS USA; CBS/BIG BROTHER

“For a long time, power and legitimacy were only viewed through the lens of how many competitions did you win or who you evicted,” Taylor said. “And for this to be a game that can last up to 99 days, that’s too much time to measure by the very few competitions that we have. If it were a game based solely on competitions, it’d be a 30-day game.”

“This is a social game first. So, me winning felt like a monumental moment in terms of changing how the game was viewed.”

Perhaps one of the more striking components of Taylor’s “Big Brother” victory was that she won by a sweeping eight votes to one.

“That eight-to-one vote really blows my mind,” Taylor expressed. “Because it wasn’t, ‘Oh, I hurt your feelings or did something bad, and I’m trying to gain your favor.’ No, it was a statement of ‘You overcame obscene odds in this house and made it to the end. So, you deserve this.’ That meant everything to me.”

And Taylor didn’t only come out on top in the Big Brother competition. She was also voted America’s favorite player, bringing her total winnings to a whopping $800,000.

“To actually win the title of America’s Favorite Player made me realize that I wasn’t crazy and that my read on the house, on my relationships with different people, on my humor and comedy — all of that wasn’t off,” Taylor said. “It felt amazing to be so well received by America because there are so many days in that house and in the ‘Big Brother’ bubble that you question your sanity. You start to wonder if you’re funny, if you’re encouraging, and even if the way you view yourself is true. So, to have all of that affirmed by America — what a validation.”

What’s Next for Taylor Hale?

With this competition behind her, Taylor is looking ahead to a bright future spent travelling the world, spoiling those closest to her with lavish vacations funded by her prize money and breaking into the world of entertainment news.

“My goal with winning Miss Michigan and competing in Miss USA was always to pursue a career in entertainment news, and that hasn’t changed,” Taylor explained. “I’m fighting tooth and nail to get into that industry, and now having won ‘Big Brother,’ that dream is much more accessible.”

Taylor also said that while she is a selfproclaimed introvert, she is interested in expanding on her newfound fame and using her position as an influencer to inspire others.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MISS USA; CBS/BIG BROTHER

“I want to make quality content that people will relate to, draw inspiration from, laugh at and feel good about consuming,” Taylor said. “This win on ‘Big Brother’ has truly expanded my horizons and granted me more freedom and ability to pursue my passions.”

It seems that no matter where life has taken Taylor — from growing up in Detroit, attending George Washington, starting her own personal styling business, competing in the national pageant circuit and, of course, making history as the first Black woman to win “Big Brother” — she has stayed true to who she is at her core and has never shied away from advocating for herself. And she credits having finetuned that life skill while in Iota Iota.

“I would not have been a core member of Iota Iota if I didn’t advocate for myself and carve my own path with the way I was involved in the chapter,” Taylor recalled. “And that’s some of the best advice I can give young women in Alpha Phi — advocate for yourself. Be engaged and active in the organization. Remember that you joined the Fraternity for a reason, and this organization is not you. You are the organization. And it’s your responsibility to show up and make the chapter what you want it to be.”

And as Taylor explained, this is something members can take with them beyond college and apply throughout their lives.

“I love the quote, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’ because it’s true,” Taylor said. “It’s up to you and you absolutely have the power and capabilities within yourself to make that kind of impact. It always comes down to that.”