Taylor Swift gets honorary degree from New York University
NEW YORK » Taylor Swift has Grammys galore and now she has a new title — doctor.
The superstar received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from New York University on Wednesday, blowing kisses as the crowd roared when she walked toward the stage at a packed Yankee Stadium.
Sporting her signature red lipstick and newly awarded honorary robe, Swift joked to the thousands of graduates assembled: “I’m 90% sure the main reason I’m here is because I have a song called ‘22.’”
“I never got to have a normal college experience per se,” said Swift, a Wyomissing native, in her commencement speech. “I went to public high school until 10th grade and then finished my education doing home school work on the floor of airport terminals.”
The singer-songwriter, producer and director said that she began her music career at 15, touring different radio stations across the country.
She went on to sell more than 100 million albums and won album of the year at the 2021 Grammys for her album “folkore,” making her the first person to win the category three times. Her previous wins came in 2010 for “Fearless” and 2016 for “1989.”
Swift shared advice with the class of 2022 but offered the warning: “I in no way feel qualified to tell you what to do. You’ve worked and struggled and sacrificed and studied and dreamed your way here today.
“I won’t tell you what to do because nobody likes that, but I will however give you life hacks for when I was starting out my dreams as a career.”
“Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth.”
Taylor Swift speaks during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium in New York on Wednesday.