The 11-time Grammy winner, singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift received an honorary doctorate degree in New York University’s commencement ceremony. Call her Doctor Taylor Swift, Doctor of Fine Arts. 

Taylor gave a heartfelt 20-minute speech emphasising on gratitude and learning. “Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you!”, she greets the graduates as reference to her hit song Welcome to New York from her 1989 album. 

Taylor was among three recipients of honorary degrees given by the board of NYU together with Susan Hockfield and Felix Matos Rodriguez.

She wore a purple robe and black mortarboard at the Yankee stadium to which she says, “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.”

“As a kid, I always thought I would go away to college, imagining the posters I’d hang on the wall of my freshmen dorm.” Taylor said. 

She praised the graduates for taking on the challenge of attending college amidst the pandemic. “And as I would like to say to you, you should be very proud of what you’ve done with it. Today you leave New York University and then you go out into the world searching for what’s next. And so will I”.

She continued her speech not with unsolicited advice because she says she feels unqualified to do so, rather she shares what she calls life hacks she can confidently give based on her experiences in life. 

First is that life can be heavy–especially if you try to carry it all at once, “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.”

Second, “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.”

She adds, “I have good news: it’s totally up to you. I have some terrifying news: it’s totally up to you… Never be ashamed of trying–effortlessness is a myth”

In life, we will inevitably mispeak, mistrust, and commit all of what we think are  mistakes, Taylor says: “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.“

“Sometimes the right thing to do is to 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”.

“As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out. And I’m a doctor now, so I know how breathing works.“ Taylor jokes