01of 12Taylor Swift.Dia Dipasupil/GettyShe’s feeling … the class of ‘22! On May 18,Taylor Swiftpopped intoNew York City’s Yankee Stadium,giving the commencement addressand receivingan honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.“Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard,” she joked of touring. “This outfit is much more comfortable.”

01of 12

Taylor Swift.Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Taylor Swift Delivers New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City.

She’s feeling … the class of ‘22! On May 18,Taylor Swiftpopped intoNew York City’s Yankee Stadium,giving the commencement addressand receivingan honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.

“Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard,” she joked of touring. “This outfit is much more comfortable.”

02of 12Taylor Swift.TheImageDirect.comAlways a cheerleader, Swift pumped up the crowd on her walk into the stadium.

02of 12

Taylor Swift.TheImageDirect.com

Taylor Swift receives an honorary degree from NYU at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The 32 year old pop star pumped her fists in the air while wearing a cap and gown.

Always a cheerleader, Swift pumped up the crowd on her walk into the stadium.

03of 12"Everyone in college during normal times stresses about test scores, but on top of that you also had to pass like a thousand COVID tests," Swift told the graduating class. “I imagine the idea of a normal college experience was all you wanted, too. But in this case you and I both learned that you don’t always get all the things in the bag that you selected from the menu in the delivery service that is life. You get what you get. And as I would like to say to you, you should be very proud of what you’ve done with it.”

03of 12

Taylor Swift NYU

“Everyone in college during normal times stresses about test scores, but on top of that you also had to pass like a thousand COVID tests,” Swift told the graduating class. “I imagine the idea of a normal college experience was all you wanted, too. But in this case you and I both learned that you don’t always get all the things in the bag that you selected from the menu in the delivery service that is life. You get what you get. And as I would like to say to you, you should be very proud of what you’ve done with it.”

04of 12Seth Wenig/AP PhotoAmong her words of advice: “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth. The people who wanted it the least were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want it most are the people I now hire to work for my company.”

04of 12

Seth Wenig/AP Photo

Taylor Swift speaks during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

Among her words of advice: “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth. The people who wanted it the least were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want it most are the people I now hire to work for my company.”

05of 12Seth Wenig/AP PhotoAfter receiving her degree, Swift joked, “I’d like to thank NYU for making me technically, [on] paper at least, a doctor. 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.”

05of 12

Taylor Swift waves after receiving an honorary degree during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 18, 2022

After receiving her degree, Swift joked, “I’d like to thank NYU for making me technically, [on] paper at least, a doctor. 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.”

06of 12Dia Dipasupil/GettyEarly in her speech, Swift made two personal song lyric references, teasing, “I’m 90 percent sure the reason I’m here is because I have a song called ‘22,’ " and telling out-of-town visitors, “Let me say to you now: Welcome to New York … it’s been waiting for you.”

06of 12

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Taylor Swift and Jason King, Chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music arrive to deliver the New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City.

Early in her speech, Swift made two personal song lyric references, teasing, “I’m 90 percent sure the reason I’m here is because I have a song called ‘22,’ " and telling out-of-town visitors, “Let me say to you now: Welcome to New York … it’s been waiting for you.”

07of 12Dia Dipasupil/GettyPrior to the ceremony, Swiftshared an Instagram video of herself getting readyfor the big day.

07of 12

Taylor Swift and Jason King, Chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music arrive to deliver the New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City

Prior to the ceremony, Swiftshared an Instagram video of herself getting readyfor the big day.

08of 12Dia Dipasupil/GettySwift’s advice was peppered with funny lines, but she also took time to get serious, talking about her earlier days of stardom and wondering if people were looking to see her fail.“It was all centered around the idea that mistakes equal failure and ultimately, the loss of any chance at a happy or rewarding life,” she said. “This has not been my experience. My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life.”

08of 12

Taylor Swift arrives to deliver the New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City.

Swift’s advice was peppered with funny lines, but she also took time to get serious, talking about her earlier days of stardom and wondering if people were looking to see her fail.

“It was all centered around the idea that mistakes equal failure and ultimately, the loss of any chance at a happy or rewarding life,” she said. “This has not been my experience. My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life.”

09of 12Dia Dipasupil/Getty"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,” Swift said.

09of 12

Taylor Swift arrives to deliver the New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City.

“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,” Swift said.

10of 12Dia Dipasupil/GettyOn the lighter side, Swift said of missing out on the college experience herself: “As a kid, I always thought I would go away to college, imagining the posters I’d hang on the wall of my freshman dorm. I even set the ending of my music video for my song ‘Love Story’ at my fantasy imaginary college, where I meet a male model reading a book on the grass and with one single glance, we realize we had been in love in our past lives. Which is exactly what you guys all experienced at some point in the last four years, right?”

10of 12

Taylor Swift arrives to deliver the New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City.

On the lighter side, Swift said of missing out on the college experience herself: “As a kid, I always thought I would go away to college, imagining the posters I’d hang on the wall of my freshman dorm. I even set the ending of my music video for my song ‘Love Story’ at my fantasy imaginary college, where I meet a male model reading a book on the grass and with one single glance, we realize we had been in love in our past lives. Which is exactly what you guys all experienced at some point in the last four years, right?”

11of 12Seth Wenig/AP Photo"I know it can be really overwhelming figuring out who to be, and when, who you are now and how to act in order to get where you want to go,” Swift said. “I have some good news: it’s totally up to you. I also have some terrifying news: it’s totally up to you.”

11of 12

Taylor Swift, right, receives an honorary degree during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 18, 2022

“I know it can be really overwhelming figuring out who to be, and when, who you are now and how to act in order to get where you want to go,” Swift said. “I have some good news: it’s totally up to you. I also have some terrifying news: it’s totally up to you.”

12of 12

Taylor Swift.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Singer Taylor Swift receives an honorary doctorate of fine arts during New York University’s commencement ceremony for the class of 2022 at Yankee Stadium in New York City on May 18, 2022.

source: people.com