Taylor Swift received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from New York University. Image Source: People
At the 2022 graduation ceremony at Yankee Stadium, Taylor Swift was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts by New York University.
Taylor Swift said in her 2022 graduation speech that she is almost 90% sure she is receiving the honorary doctorate because she has a song called "22". The singer mentioned that she only went to public high school until 10th grade and later started to pursue her career in music which refrained her from having a normal college experience unlike everyone else who sat in the audience and cheered for her. She thanked her parents and brother for being there for her and supporting her right from the beginning and added that no words will be enough to thank them.
Taylor Swift mentioned that she’d like to thank New York University for making her a doctor, even if it was technically on paper. She joked that she is the doctor you'd not want around if you had a medical emergency unless it was to hear a song with a great hook and an emotionally cathartic bridge part, in which case she'd be the one. The singer admitted that figuring out who you want to be, what you want to do when you want to do it, and how you have to act to get where you want to go can be overwhelming, but she also said that she has some good news to share, which is that everything depends on you, before adding that it's also terrifying.
Taylor Swift continued her speech by stating to the 2022 graduates that making mistakes is unavoidable, and that when life becomes tough, remember that we will recover, learn from our mistakes, and become stronger as a result. She also stated that the times she was told "no," "wasn't" included, "wasn't selected," or "lost out on winning or making the cut" are events she looks back on and considers to be crucial in her life, just as the times she was told "yes."
The Grammy-winning singer shared with the graduates that she felt lonely every time she was told no in her career or personal life, and it started when she was very young. She also stated that she began connecting with music executives at the age of 13 and was told that only women (housewives) over the age of 35 listen to country music, but she never gave up and continued to write songs that would get her a ticket somewhere else, as well as post songs on MySpace and connect with other teenage country fans online.
By the age of 15, Taylor Swift had a recording contract and released her first studio album in 2006, and her follow-up album, "Fearless," went on to win four Grammy awards, including album of the year in 2010. You will surely say the wrong thing, believe the wrong people, react negatively, overreact, harm people who don't deserve it, and let the guilt gnaw at you until you reach rock bottom and ultimately face the suffering you caused, as Taylor Swift put it. Rinse and repeat if you want to try harder next time. The singer went on to say that her errors have always led to the finest things in her life, which shed some light on being humiliated when you make a mistake. It's part of the human experience, according to Taylor, but getting back up, brushing yourself off, and seeing who still wants to hang out with you and laugh about it later is a gift.
Insiders shared that Taylor Swift really blended in with the graduates, like she was one of them, and everyone was accepting her and having fun with it. During her speech, the singer also stated how, as a public person, her love life has gotten more attention than that of other celebrities. She said that having the public regard her personal life as if it were a spectator sport in which she loses every game wasn't the best way to date in her teens and twenties, but it taught her to aggressively preserve her privacy. The singer went on to say that being publically humiliated repeatedly as a child was very painful, but it drove her to disregard the foolish concept of minute-by-minute social relevance and likability.
She also reflected on the positive aspects of her epic 2016 feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and joked about it by saying that getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my job gave me an amazing understanding of all the different sorts of wine.
Congratulations Taylor Swift!
