NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Taylor Swift has been known for her hit songs and songwriting skills for almost a decade, but thanks to New York University, she now has a new title: doctor, which she joked about during her commencement speech at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
"I’d like to thank NYU for making me, technically, at paper at least, a doctor," said Swift, who received an honorary doctorate of fine arts. "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. Or if your emergency was that you needed a person who can name over 50 breeds of cats in one minute."
The 11-time Grammy winner, dressed in a black cap and purple gown, blew kisses as the crowd roared when she walked toward the stage for the first graduation back at the Bronx stadium since 2019.
Swift referenced her famous song, "22," saying that the timing of her speech is appropriately fitting for the Class of 2022.
"I’m … 90% sure the main reason I’m here is because I have a song called ‘22,’" Swift said. "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."
During her address, the 32-year-old reflected on her own journey and offered "life hacks" to the graduates.
"I never got to have a normal college experience per se," she said. "I went to public high school until 10th grade and then finished my education doing home school work on the floor of airport terminals."
Swift opened up about the backlash she's faced since she "was a teenager in the public eye at a time when our society was absolutely obsessed with the idea of having perfect young female role models."
The pop superstar ultimately emphasized the significance of letting go, telling the class to "learn to live alongside cringe."
"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," she said. "Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go."
"No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe, you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively," Swift added. "Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime. Even the term cringe might someday be deemed cringe."
Swift concluded her nearly 25-minute speech by remarking on the importance of embracing one's mistakes.
"Scary news is: you’re on your own now," she said. "Cool news is: You’re on your own now."
"We are led by our gut instincts, our intuition, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams," Swift added. "And you will screw it up sometimes. So will I. And when I do, you will most likely read about on the internet. Anyway…hard things will happen to us. We will recover."
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