I went to public high school until tenth grade and finished my education doing homeschool work on the floors of airport terminals. I never got to have the normal college experience, per se. Or if your emergency was that you needed a person who can name over 50 breeds of cats in one minute. Not the type of doctor you would want around in the 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. I’d like to thank NYU for making me technically, on paper at least, a doctor. 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. 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 my dad, and my brother, Austin, for the sacrifices they made every day so that I could go from singing in coffee houses to standing up here with you all today because no words would ever be enough. If they are here 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. Maybe they aren’t with us anymore, and in that case I hope you’ll remember them today. 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.’ And maybe they didn’t do it perfectly. 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. Those who told us we could do it when there was absolutely no proof of that. 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. Not a single one of us here today has done it alone. 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. As for me, I’m…90% sure the main reason I’m here is because I have a song called ‘22’. I feel so proud to share this day with my fellow honorees Susan Hockfield and Felix Matos Rodriguez, who humble me with the ways they improve our world with their work. I’d 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. Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard. Read Taylor Swift’s full speech from NYU’s 2022 commencement ceremony, then watch it below, beginning at about the two-hour, 47-minute mark. “Let me just say: Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you,” she said with a smirk at the beginning of her address, and at the end: “So let’s just keep dancing like we’re … the class of ’22.” Taylor Swift Rocks Her First Cap and Gown in NYU Commencement Address Prep VideoĪnd in true Taylor fashion, she also spared a couple moments to poke fun at herself and reference a couple of her most fitting songs.
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