
Singer and songwriter Taylor Swift just earned an honorary doctorate degree from New York University on Wednesday. She finished a doctorate in fine arts, honoris causa.
Taylor gave a graduation speech in the commencement ceremony held in Yankee Stadium. Known for her witty and relatable lyrics, she started her speech with “Hi, I'm Taylor. Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard. This outfit is much more comfortable."
She also greeted her fellow graduates, "Let me just say: Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you,” and at the end she said, “So let's just keep dancing like we're … the class of '22.”
She went on her highly-anticipated speech by recalling her previous time being in a stadium.
Taylor shared that she never had a normal college experience, "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."
The "Folklore" artist added, "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 1,000 COVID tests."
She continued, "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."
Taylor also mentioned that though she doesn't want to give "unsolicited advice" she has some "life hacks" for young people.
She said, "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.
"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. No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe, you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively. Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime. Even the term cringe might someday be deemed cringe. I promise you, you're probably doing or wearing something right now that you will look back on later and find revolting and hilarious. You can't avoid it, so don't try to."
"My experience has been that my mistakes lead 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 11-time Grammy winner has been a celebrated artist since she released her first studio album Taylor Swift in 2006.
Taylor is also the most awarded artist in the American Music Awards' history and Billboard's first and only two-time winner of the Woman of the Decade Award.
Among her famous hits are "All Too Well," "Love Story," "Blank Space," "Shake It Off," "22," and "You Belong with Me."