Taylor Swift shared words of wisdom with New York University's class of 2022 on Wednesday as she received an honorary doctorate.
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The singer was given an honorary doctorate of fine arts and gave the commencement speech to thousands who sat in Yankee Stadium for the special ceremony. "Hi I am Taylor," she began, joking: "Last time I was in a stadium this size I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard but this outfit is much more comfortable."
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"I feel so proud to share this day with my fellow honorees who humble me with the ways they improve our world with their work," Taylor continued, adding: "As for me I am 90% sure the main reason I am here is because I have a song called 22.
"And let me say I am elated to be here as we celebrate and graduate NYU's class of 2022.
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"Not a single one of us here has done it alone, we are each a patchwork quilt of those who loved us, believed in our futures, showed us empathy and kindness, or told us the truth even when it wasn't easy to hear."
The 32-year-old thanked her parents for the "sacrifices they made" for her, and spoke about her life in the public eyes.
Taylor calls New York home
"My mistakes led to the best things in my life, and being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience. Getting back up and dust yourself off and see who still wants to hang out with you after? That's a gift,"' she said.
"Looking back it feels those moments were more crucial than the times I was told yes. Getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine," she laughed.
Taylor concluded: "I leave you with this. We are led by our gut instincts, intuitions, desires, fears, scars and dreams, and you will screw it up sometimes. Hard things will happen, we will recover, we will learn and we will grow more resilient ,and as long as we are fortunate to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe out. And I am a doctor now so I know how breathing works."
"Getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine," she laughed
In the hours before her speech, she shared a fun reel on Instagram that saw her driving through the city, and posing for pictures with her dad in her cap and gown.
Taylor left high school in tenth grade and finished her high school education at home and on the road as she traveled the country as a country star. Her career has spanned 17 years and she has won 11 Grammy awards.
She is also the only female solo act to win Album Of The Year three times; she won in 2009 for Fearless, in 2015 for 1989 and, most recently, for 2020 for Folklore.
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