NYU's 2022 Commencement Speaker Taylor Swift

Summary

In a heartfelt speech, Taylor Swift, honored with a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from NYU, addresses the Class of 2022, sharing her journey and offering life advice. She emphasizes the importance of releasing burdens, embracing cringe, and valuing effort, while acknowledging the challenges of navigating life's choices. Swift encourages graduates to trust their instincts, learn from mistakes, and find resilience, leaving them with a message of hope and the power of breathing through life's ups and downs.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Taylor Swift was honored with a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from NYU for her accomplishments as a singer, songwriter, producer, and advocate for artists' rights.
• 🌟 She is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with numerous albums and over 100 million album units sold, crossing various genres and reaching a global audience.
• 🏆 Swift has been a strong advocate for the Equality Act, supporting initiatives to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as protecting women and girls from harassment and sexual assault.
• 🤝 She has made significant donations to various causes, including disaster relief, cancer research, literacy programs, and public education.
• 💪 Swift has been a trailblazer in challenging the exploitation of music artists, fighting for their rights to be compensated for their work.
• 🙌 She expressed gratitude to NYU and her family for their support and emphasized the importance of acknowledging the people who have helped shape her journey.
• 📚 Taylor Swift did not have a traditional college experience, having been homeschooled and then going on a radio tour, which contrasts with the unique challenges faced by the Class of 2022 during the pandemic.
• 💭 She encourages graduates to embrace their individuality and the various 'voices' they use in different situations, highlighting the idea that everyone is a 'literary chameleon'.
• 🔄 Swift advises on the importance of letting go of grudges and unnecessary burdens to make room for the positive aspects of life.
• 😅 She humorously acknowledges the inevitability of 'cringe' moments in life and encourages embracing enthusiasm and effort, rather than striving for effortless perfection.
• 🎵 Her love for songwriting has been the guiding compass of her life, and she views all her creative endeavors as extensions of this passion.

Q & A

Who is Jason King and what is his role in the transcript?

Jason King is the Chair and Associate Professor of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Tisch School of the Arts. He is introducing the candidate for Doctor of Fine Arts.

Who is the candidate being presented for the Doctor of Fine Arts degree?

The candidate being presented for the Doctor of Fine Arts degree is Taylor Swift.

What are some of the accomplishments of Taylor Swift mentioned in the transcript?

Taylor Swift is recognized as a blazing singer, songwriter, producer, director, actress, and a pioneering advocate for artists' rights. She is also a philanthropist who has sold well over 100 million album units, earned numerous awards, and used her platform to support various causes such as the Equality Act and initiatives to protect women and girls from harassment and sexual assaults.

What is the significance of Taylor Swift's song '22' in the context of the transcript?

Taylor Swift humorously suggests that the main reason she was invited to speak at the graduation ceremony might be because she has a song called '22,' which aligns with the year of graduation for the Class of 2022.

How does Taylor Swift describe her educational background in the transcript?

Taylor Swift explains that she did not have a normal college experience. She went to public high school until the 10th grade and then finished her education through homeschooling while traveling and doing a radio tour.

What is Taylor Swift's view on the importance of mistakes in personal growth?

Taylor Swift believes that mistakes are an integral part of personal growth. She shares that her own mistakes have led to the best things in her life and that being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience.

How does Taylor Swift address the concept of 'cringe' in the transcript?

Taylor Swift advises the graduates to learn to live alongside 'cringe,' stating that it is unavoidable over a lifetime and that one should not be ashamed of trying or of their past actions that they may look back on and find embarrassing.

What advice does Taylor Swift give about handling life's challenges and making choices?

Taylor Swift advises the graduates to trust their gut instincts, intuition, desires, and fears when making choices. She acknowledges that they will make mistakes but emphasizes that they will recover, learn, and grow more resilient because of it.

How does Taylor Swift relate to the graduates' experience during the global pandemic?

Taylor Swift empathizes with the graduates' experience during the global pandemic, noting that they were essentially locked into their dorms, had to do classes over Zoom, and had to pass numerous COVID tests on top of stressing about test scores.

What is Taylor Swift's message to the graduates about their future?

Taylor Swift encourages the graduates to be proud of what they've accomplished and to embrace the uncertainty of the future. She emphasizes that they are on their own now, which can be both scary and exciting, and that they should continue to dance through life like they're the Class of '22.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction and Honorary Doctorate Award

The script begins with the introduction of Jason King, Chair and Associate Professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, who is set to present an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree candidate. Trustee Brett Racon escorts the candidate, Taylor Swift, to the stage. Swift is lauded for her accomplishments as a singer, songwriter, producer, director, actress, and advocate for artists' rights. With numerous albums and millions of albums sold, she has used her platform to support various social causes, including the Equality Act and initiatives to protect women and girls from harassment. The ceremony concludes with Swift being conferred the honorary degree, and she is introduced to respond on behalf of the recipients.

05:06

🙌 Expressions of Gratitude and Shared Pride

Taylor Swift expresses her gratitude to NYU's leadership and board members for making the honorary degree ceremony possible. She shares the stage with fellow honorees Susan Hockfield and Félix Matos Rodríguez, whose work inspires her. Swift humorously attributes her presence to her song '22' and celebrates the graduation of NYU's Class of 2022. She acknowledges the collective journey and the support systems that have shaped each graduate's path, from family and mentors to the shared experiences that have led them to this point. Swift's speech is peppered with humor and heartfelt thanks to her family for their support throughout her career.

10:08

🎤 Reflecting on Life's Journey and the Value of Experience

Swift reflects on the unconventional path she took to her career, from homeschooling to touring, and the sacrifices her family made for her success. She contrasts her journey with the unique challenges faced by the NYU Class of 2022 during the global pandemic, highlighting the resilience and adaptability required in such circumstances. She emphasizes the importance of being proud of overcoming these challenges and moving forward into the unknown. Swift also touches on the theme of life's unpredictability, advising the graduates to embrace the unexpected and to be proud of their achievements.

15:09

🤔 Life Lessons and Embracing the Inevitable 'Cringe'

In this section, Swift offers life advice based on her experiences, starting with the metaphor of 'catch and release' to illustrate the importance of letting go of grudges and unnecessary burdens. She humorously mentions the inevitability of 'cringe' moments in life and encourages the graduates not to shy away from them. Swift advocates for embracing enthusiasm and effort, challenging the cultural stigma around eagerness and the myth of effortless success. She shares her own experiences of being a public figure from a young age and the unsolicited advice that came with it, emphasizing the value of learning from one's own journey.

20:09

🎵 The Power of Creativity and the Evolution of Identity

Swift delves into her passion for songwriting and how it has guided her life and career. She discusses the evolution of her music across genres and the importance of creativity in her various endeavors, from directing to performing. She extends this idea to the graduates, suggesting that everyone is a 'literary chameleon' who writes and communicates differently depending on the context. Swift encourages the graduates to embrace their multifaceted identities and to navigate the complexities of self-discovery and personal growth.

25:11

💪 Overcoming Mistakes and the Path to Resilience

Swift candidly discusses the pressure of perfectionism and the reality of making mistakes. She shares her personal experiences with failure, rejection, and public humiliation, and how these experiences have shaped her into a stronger person. She emphasizes that mistakes are a natural part of life and can lead to growth and self-improvement. Swift encourages the graduates to learn from their mistakes, to protect their private lives, and to value their authenticity over social relevance. She concludes by reminding the graduates that they are now on their own to make their own choices and to trust their instincts as they navigate their future.

🌟 Final Thoughts on Life's Challenges and the Journey Ahead

In her closing remarks, Swift acknowledges the uncertainty and challenges that lie ahead for the graduates as they leave the structured environment of school. She reflects on the difficulty of making life choices and the impossibility of always knowing the right path. Swift leaves the graduates with a message of hope and resilience, encouraging them to trust their instincts, learn from their experiences, and grow from their challenges. She ends on a light-hearted note, referencing her new title as a doctor and the importance of breathing through life's ups and downs, and invites the graduates to continue dancing through life with the spirit of the Class of '22.

Keywords

💡Doctor of Fine Arts

The term 'Doctor of Fine Arts' refers to an honorary academic degree conferred upon individuals for their distinguished contributions to the arts. In the video, Taylor Swift is awarded this degree, symbolizing recognition of her significant impact on the music industry and her advocacy for artists' rights.

💡Advocacy

Advocacy is the act of supporting a cause or policy, often through public statements or actions. Taylor Swift is highlighted as a pioneering advocate for artists' rights, indicating her role in championing policies like the Equality Act and speaking out against discrimination and harassment.

💡Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who seeks to promote the welfare of others, primarily through the generous donation of money to good causes. Taylor Swift is acknowledged as a philanthropist in the script, having donated to causes such as flood and tornado victims, cancer research, and education.

💡Artists' Rights

Artists' rights pertain to the recognition and protection of the legal and moral rights of creators over their work. The script mentions Swift's fearless challenge against the exploitation of music artists and her successful efforts to ensure they are compensated for their work.

💡Honorary Degree

An honorary degree is an academic title awarded to individuals in recognition of their achievements, rather than as a result of completing an academic program. Taylor Swift's conferment of the Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa is an example of an honorary degree, which is a testament to her influence and contributions beyond academia.

💡Influence

Influence refers to the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. The script describes Swift's influence through her music, which has crossed genres and demographics, touching lives globally.

💡Cringe

Cringe is a term used to describe an awkward or embarrassing feeling, often associated with past actions or styles that one now finds uncomfortable. In her speech, Swift humorously discusses the inevitability of cringe, using it to encourage graduates to embrace their past selves and the evolution of their personal style.

💡Eagerness

Eagerness is a term that describes the quality of being enthusiastic or keen about something. Swift challenges the stigma around eagerness, advocating for the importance of showing genuine interest and effort in one's pursuits, rather than feigning nonchalance.

💡Songwriting

Songwriting is the process of creating the lyrics and musical composition for a song. Swift's identity as a songwriter is central to her career, and she discusses how her love for songwriting has guided her life and various creative endeavors, from albums to performances.

💡Mistakes

Mistakes are errors or incorrect actions. Swift discusses the importance of embracing mistakes as part of the human experience, sharing that her own mistakes have led to personal growth and the best things in her life, thus encouraging graduates to view mistakes as opportunities for learning and development.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or to withstand hardships. The script touches on the theme of resilience as Swift speaks about the challenges she has faced and how overcoming them has made her stronger, a message she extends to the graduating class.

Highlights

Introduction of Jason King, Chair and Associate Professor, presenting Taylor Swift for Doctor of Fine Arts degree.

Taylor Swift's recognition as a multi-talented artist including singer, songwriter, producer, director, and actress.

Swift's role as an advocate for artists' rights and her philanthropic work.

Achievement of over 100 million album units sold and numerous awards.

Swift's use of her platform to support the Equality Act and prevent discrimination.

Her support for initiatives protecting women and girls from harassment and sexual assaults.

Significant donations made to various causes including disaster relief, cancer research, and education.

Swift's challenge against exploitation of music artists and her fight for fair compensation.

Conferment of the Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa degree to Taylor Swift.

Swift's humorous comparison of her current attire to her typical performance outfit.

Acknowledgment of fellow honorees Susan Hockfield and Félix Matos Rodríguez.

Swift's reflection on the importance of support systems and the collective journey to success.

Expression of gratitude to family and the sacrifices made for her career.

Swift's humorous take on being a 'doctor' and the type of emergencies she is equipped to handle.

Her empathy for the NYU Class of 2022's unique college experience during a global pandemic.

Swift's advice on life, embracing mistakes, and the value of resilience.

Encouragement to毕业生 to be proud of their achievements despite the challenges faced.

Swift's emphasis on the importance of intuition and gut instincts in making life choices.

Her closing message of hope and unity, encouraging the class to keep dancing through life.

Transcripts

(audience clapping)

- I would like now to introduce Jason King

Chair and Associate Professor

of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music,

Tisch School of the Arts,

who will present the candidate for Doctor of Fine Arts.

Will trustee, Brett Racon,

please escort the candidate to the lectern.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

- Taylor Swift

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

blazing singer, songwriter, producer, director, actress,

pioneering and influential advocate for artists' rights

and philanthropist.

You have brought joy and resolve

to your hundreds of millions of fans throughout the world.

(audience cheering)

One of the best selling music artists in history.

You have crossed genres, demographics, age groups

and borders of all kinds

to touch lives around the globe.

With nine original studio albums

two re-recorded studio albums,

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

five extended plays, three live albums and 14 compilations.

You have sold well over 100 million album units,

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

earning awards and honors in every category.

You have used the remarkable platform you earned

to galvanize support for the Equality Act

to prevent discrimination

on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

And you have spoken out

and you have supported initiatives

to protect women and girls

from harassment and sexual assaults.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

You have donated significantly

to victims of floods and tornadoes,

for cancer research, literacy programs for children

and public education.

You have fearlessly challenged the exploitation

of music artists

and successfully championed their right

to be compensated for their work.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

- Taylor Swift, (audience cheering)

you are a role model across the world

for your unprecedented talent and accomplishment,

your fierce advocacy

for protection of those facing discrimination

and your commitment to speaking out

forcefully, eloquently and effectively

on behalf of all artists.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

By virtue of the authority vested in me,

I am pleased to confer upon you

the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

(audience members cheering)

I am now pleased to introduce Taylor Swift,

who will respond

on behalf of the honorary degree recipients.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

- Hi, I'm Taylor.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

Last time I was in a stadium this size

I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard.

(podium members chuckling) (audience cheering)

This outfit is much more comfortable.

I would like to say a huge thank you

to NYU's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Bill Berkeley

and all the trustees and members of the board.

NYU's President Andrew Hamilton, Provost Katherine Fleming

and the faculty and alumni here today,

who have made this day possible.

I feel so proud to share this day with my fellow honorees

Susan Hockfield and Félix Matos Rodríguez,

who humble me with the ways they improve our world

with their work.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering)

As for me, I'm 90% sure, the main reason I'm here

is because I have a song called "22."

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

And let me just say, I am elated to be here with you today,

as we celebrate and graduate

New York University's Class of 2022.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

Not a single one of us here today has done it alone.

We are each a patchwork quilt of those who have loved us,

those who have believed in our futures,

those who showed us empathy and kindness

or told us the truth, even when it wasn't easy to hear.

Those who told us we could do it

when there was absolutely no proof of that.

Someone read stories to you and taught you to dream

and offered up some moral code of right and wrong

for you to try and live by.

Someone, tried their best to explain every concept

in this insanely complex world,

to the child that was you,

as you asked a bazillion questions,

like how does the moon work

and why can we eat salad, but not grass?

(audience chuckles)

And maybe they didn't do it perfectly,

no one ever can.

Maybe they aren't with us anymore.

In that case, I hope you'll remember them today.

If they are in this stadium,

I hope you'll find your own way to express your gratitude

for all the steps and missteps

that have led us to this common destination.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

I know that words are supposed to be my thing

but I will never be able to find the words

to thank my mom and dad, my brother, Austin,

for the sacrifices they made every day,

so I could go from singing in coffee houses

to standing up here with you all today

because no words would ever be enough.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

To all the incredible parents, family members, mentors

teachers, allies, friends, and loved ones here today,

who have supported these students

in their pursuit of educational enrichment.

Let me say to you now welcome to New York,

it's been waiting for you.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

I'd like to thank NYU for making me

technically, on paper at least, a doctor.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

Not the type of doctor you would want around

in case of an emergency,

unless your specific emergency

was that you desperately needed to hear a song

with a catchy hook

and an intensely cathartic bridge section.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

Or if your emergency was that you needed a person

who can name over 50 breeds of cats in one minute.

(audience cheering)

I never got to have a normal college experience per se.

I went to public high school until 10th grade

and then finished my education,

doing homeschool work on the floors of airport terminals.

Then I went out on the road for radio tour

which sounds incredibly glamorous,

but in reality it consisted of a rental car, motels,

and my mom and I,

pretending to have loud mother-daughter fights

with each other during boarding,

so no one would want the empty seat between us on Southwest.

(audience chuckles)

As a kid, I always thought I would go away to college,

imagining the posters I would hang on the wall

of my freshman dorm.

I even set the ending of my music video

from my song "Love Story" at my fantasy imaginary college

where I meet a male model, reading a book on the grass.

And with one single glance

we realized we had been in love in our past lives

which is exactly what you guys all experienced

at some point in the last four years, right?

But I really can't complain

about not having a normal college experience to you

because you went to NYU during a global pandemic

being essentially locked into your dorms

and having to do classes over Zoom.

Everyone in college during normal times

stresses about test scores.

But on top of that

you also had to pass like a thousand COVID tests.

(audience chuckles)

I imagine the idea of a normal college experience

was all you wanted too.

But in this case, you and I both learned

that you don't always get all the things in the bag

that you selected from the menu

in the delivery surface that is life.

You get what you get.

And as I would like to say to you wholeheartedly

you should be very proud of what you've done with it.

Today, you leave New York University

and then go out into the world, searching what's next,

and so will I.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

So as a rule, I try not to give anyone unsolicited advice

unless they ask for it.

I'll go into this more later.

I guess I have been officially solicited in this situation

to impart whatever wisdom I might have

to tell you things that have helped me so far in my life.

Please bear in mind

that I in no way feel qualified to tell you what to do.

You've worked and struggled and sacrificed

and studied and dreamed your way here today.

And so, you know what you're doing

you'll do things differently

than I did them and for different reasons.

So I won't tell you to what to do

'cause no one likes that.

I will, however, give you some life hacks, I wish I knew

when I was starting out my dreams of a career

and navigating life, love, pressure, choices,

shame, hope, and friendship.

The first of which is, life can be heavy

especially if you try to carry it all at once.

Part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life

is about catch and release.

What I mean by that is,

knowing what things to keep and what things to release.

You can't carry all things, all grudges

all updates on your ex,

all enviable promotions your school bully got

at the hedge fund his uncle started.

(audience chuckles)

Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go.

Oftentimes, the good things in your life are lighter anyway,

so there's more room for them.

One toxic relationship

can outweigh so many wonderful, simple joys.

You get to pick what your life has time and room for.

Be discerning.

Secondly, learn to live alongside cringe.

(audience cheering) (audience laughing)

No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe,

you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime.

Even the term cringe might someday be deemed cringe.

I promise you're probably doing

or wearing something right now

that you will look back on later

and find revolting and hilarious.

(audience chuckles)

You can't avoid it, so don't try to.

For example I had a phase where for the entirety of 2012,

I dressed like a 1950's housewife

But you know what? I was having fun.

Trends and phases are fun.

Looking back and laughing is fun.

And while we're talking about things that make us squirm

but really shouldn't.

I'd like to say I'm a big advocate

for not hiding your enthusiasm for things.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

It seems to me that there is a false stigma around eagerness

in our culture of unbothered, ambivalence.

This outlook perpetuates the idea

that it's not cool to want it.

That people who don't try

are fundamentally more chic than people who do.

And I wouldn't know because I've been a lot of things

but I've never been an expert on chic

but I'm the one who's up here,

so you have to listen to me when I say this,

never be ashamed of trying.

Effortlessness is a myth.

The people who wanted it the least

were the ones I wanted to date

and be friends with in high school.

The people who want it the most

are the people I now hire to work for my company.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

I started writing songs when I was 12.

And since then it's been the compass guiding my life,

and in turn, my life guided my writing

everything I do is just an extension of my writing

whether it's directing videos or a short film

creating the visuals for a tour

or standing on a stage performing.

Everything is connected by my love of the craft

the thrill of working through ideas

and narrowing them down and polishing it all up in the end,

editing, waking up in the middle of the night,

throwing out the old idea

because you just thought of a new or better one

or a plot device that ties the whole thing together.

There's a reason they call it a hook.

Sometimes a string of words just ensnares me

and I can't focus on anything

until it's been recorded or written down.

As a songwriter I've never been able to sit still

or stay in one creative place for too long.

I've made and released 11 albums

and in the process, I've switched genre

from country to pop, to alternative to folk.

And this might sound

like a very songwriter-centric line of discussion,

but in a way I really do think we are all writers

and most of us write in a different voice

for different situations.

You write differently in your Instagram stories

than you do your senior thesis.

You send a different type of email to your boss

than you do your best friend from home.

We are all literary chameleons and I think it's fascinating.

It's just a continuation of the idea

that we are so many things all the time.

And I know it can be really overwhelming

figuring out who to be and when,

who you are now and how to act

in order to get where you wanna go.

I have some good news. It's totally up to you.

I have some terrifying news.

It's totally up to you.

I said to you earlier that I don't ever offer advice

unless someone asked me for it

and now I'll tell you why.

As a person who started my very public career

at the age of 15, it came with a price

and that price was years of unsolicited advice.

Being the youngest person in every room for over a decade

meant that I was constantly being issued warnings

from older members of the music industry,

media, interviewers, executives

and this advice often presented itself

as thinly veiled warnings.

See, I was a teenager at a time

when our society was absolutely obsessed

with the idea of having perfect young female role models.

It felt like every interview I did

included slight barbs by the interviewer

about me one day, running off the rails

and that meant a different thing

to every person who said it to me.

So I became a young adult while being fed the message

that if I didn't make any mistakes,

all the children of America

would grow up to be perfect angels.

However, if I did slip up,

the entire earth would fall off its axis

and it would be entirely my fault

and I would go to pop star jail forever and ever.

It was all centered around the idea

that mistakes equal failure

and ultimately the loss of any chance

at a happy or rewarding life.

This has not been my experience.

My experience has been that my mistakes

led to the best things in my life

and being embarrassed when you mess up

it's part of the human experience.

Getting back up, dusting yourself off

and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward

and laugh about it, that's a gift.

The times I was told no or wasn't included,

wasn't chosen, didn't win, didn't make the cut,

looking back, it really feels like those moments

were as important if not more crucial

than the moments I was told, yes.

Not being invited

to the parties and sleepovers in my hometown

made me feel hopelessly lonely,

but because I felt alone, I would sit in my room

and write the songs

that would get me a ticket somewhere else.

Having label executives in Nashville tell me

that only 35 year old housewives listen to country music

and there was no place for a 13 year old on their roster

made me cry in the car on the way home

but then I'd post my songs on my MySpace and yes, MySpace.

(audience chuckles)

And I would message with other teenagers like me

who loved country music

but just didn't have anyone singing from their perspective.

Having journalists write in depth

oftentimes critical pieces about who they perceive me to be

made me feel like I was living in some weird simulation

but it also made me look inward

to learn about who I actually am.

Having the world treat my love life

like a spectator sport

in which I lose every single game

was not a great way to date in my teens and twenties,

but it taught me to protect my private life fiercely.

Being publicly humiliated over and over again at a young age

was excruciatingly painful

but it forced me to devalue the ridiculous notion

of minute by minute,

ever fluctuating social relevance and likability.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

Getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career

gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine.

(audience laughing)

I know I sound like a consummate optimist

but I'm really not.

I lose perspective all the time.

Sometimes everything just feels completely pointless.

I know the pressure of living your life

through the lens of perfectionism

and I know that I'm talking to a group of perfectionists

because you are here today, graduating from NYU.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

So this might be hard for you to hear.

In your life, you will inevitably misspeak,

trust the wrong person, under react, overreact

hurt the people who didn't deserve it,

overthink, not think at all, self-sabotage,

create a reality where only your experience exists,

ruin perfectly good moments for yourself and others,

deny any wrongdoing, not take the steps to make it right,

feel very guilty, let the guilt eat at you, hit rock bottom.

Finally, address the pain you caused,

try to do better next time, rinse, repeat.

(audience chuckles)

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

And I'm not gonna lie,

these mistakes will cause you to lose things.

I'm trying to tell you that losing things

doesn't just mean losing.

A lot of the time when we lose things,

we gain things too.

Now you leave the structure and framework of school

and chart your own path.

Every choice you make leads to the next choice,

which leads to the next

and I know it's hard to know which path to take.

There will be times in life

where you need to stand up for yourself

times when the right thing

is actually to back down and apologize,

times when the right thing is to fight,

times when the right thing is to turn and run,

times to hold on with all you have

and times to let go with grace.

Sometimes the right thing to do

is to throw out the old schools of thought

in the name of progress and reform.

Sometimes the right thing to do is to sit and listen

to the wisdom of those who have come before us.

How will you know what the right choice is

in these crucial moments?

You won't.

How do I give advice to this many people

about their life choices?

I won't.

The scary news is you're on your own now

but the cool news is, you're on your own now.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)

I leave you with this.

We are led by our gut instincts, our intuition,

our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams.

And you will screw it up sometimes, so will I.

And when I do,

you will most likely read about it on the internet.

Anyway, hard things will happen to us.

We will recover, we will learn from it.

We will grow more resilient because of it.

And as long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing

we will breathe in, breathe through,

breathe deep, breathe out.

And I am a doctor now,

so I know how breathing works.

(audience laughing)

(audience applauding)

I hope you know how proud I am to share this day with you.

We're doing this together.

So let's just keep dancing, like we're the Class of '22.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding)