“I stand here humbled, gracious, and completely naked under this robe.”
One anecdote she shared was when her dad, a Tulane grad (she’s also the cousin of one of this year’s graduates), asked her what she wanted to do after college. She said “I want to be on Saturday Night Live.” That lead her to improv classes with the Groundlings in L.A., and learning the “yes, and” rule, the biggest rule in improv.
“If I must give any of you advice, it would be this. Say yes. Say ’yes, and.’ And create your own destiny. Hold onto your old friends. Kiss your mama. Admit what your dreams are. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know what you’re gonna do tomorrow, but work hard and don’t be lazy. And put away your damn iPhone once in a while.”
She naturally peppered this portion of her speech with her flawless Oprah impression. But that wasn’t her only impression. She performed the most insane National Anthem rendition and threw in some Mariah Carey and Beyoncé realness. Best speech ever. Go forth, Tulane grads, knowing you have been blessed.