Celeb class of 2018: See Sterling K. Brown, Mindy Kaling, and more in their caps and gowns
Cue âPomp and Circumstanceâ and get ready to hear life advice from some of the most successful celebrities we know. This graduation season, students across the country have heard from Sterling K. Brown, Mindy Kaling, Jimmy Fallon, and more.
Hereâs a look at who has spoken at 2018 graduations.
Sterling K. Brown
The This Is Us actor, a Stanford University alum, inspired and challenged grads of his alma mater with his words at a June 17 ceremony. âClass of 2018, it is your time now,â he concluded his speech. âDo me a favor, will ya? Take your light and show us the way.â
A post shared by Stanford University (@stanford) on Jun 18, 2018 at 1:51pm PDT
Mindy Kaling
âIâll tell you my secret, the one thing that has kept me going through the years, my superpower: delusion,â Dartmouth College alum Kaling told this yearâs crop of grads. âThis is something I may share with our president, a fact that is both horrifying and interesting.â After more of the witty banter for which sheâs known, Kaling added, âMy point is: You have to have insane confidence in yourself, even if itâs not real.â
A post shared by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) on Jun 10, 2018 at 3:40pm PDT
Jimmy Fallon
The graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., were surprised to see the late-night TV show host pop up on their big day. âMost commencement speakers, theyâll get up here and talk in the future tense. âYou will succeed. You will make us proud. And you will change the world,'â Fallon told the school shooting survivors turned activists. âMost commencement speakers say, âYou are the future.â But Iâm not going to say that because youâre not the future. Youâre the present.â
A post shared by Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) on Jun 3, 2018 at 1:11pm PDT
Hilary Swank
At the Savannah College of Art and Design, two-time Oscar-winner Swank delivered an inspiring commencement address to two groups of scholars donning caps and gowns. âMake a choice. Make it happen. ⊠All that matters is that you make choices every single day to work toward your dream,â Swank urged them.
A post shared by SCAD (@scaddotedu) on Jun 2, 2018 at 8:30am PDT
Ava DuVernay
Students graduating from Cornell University heard from the director of A Wrinkle in Time. âWhat will be your story? Your movie? Youâre the director. Youâre free to experience and interpret this life from this moment on as you decide, as you declare,â DuVernay said.
A post shared by Cornell University (@cornelluniversity) on May 26, 2018 at 12:11pm PDT
Michael Keaton
At Kent State Universityâs May 12 graduation, alumnus Keaton celebrated the Class of 2018 with his signature phrase: âIâm Batman.â Listen for it after his speech, when he returns to the podium to accept an honorary degree.
Oprah
The OWN mogul advised graduates of USCâs Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism to give voice to people without one. âYou will become the new editorial gatekeepers, an ambitious army of truth seekers who will arm yourselves with the intelligence, the insight, and the facts necessary to strike down deceit,â she told them in a May 11 speech that felt a lot like The Oprah Winfrey Show on location.
Chadwick Boseman
On May 12, the Black Panther star spoke to excited students at Howard University, his alma mater, about the importance of finding their purpose, rather than a job, as they bring their talents to the world.
A post shared by Howard University (@howard1867) on May 12, 2018 at 6:05pm PDT
Cynthia Nixon
The New York gubernatorial candidate, best known for playing Miranda in Sex and the City, offered some appreciation for the graduates of the Helene Fuld College of Nursing in New York City on May 4. She talked about the times in her life when nurses have helped her, including the births of her three children and the death of her mother to cancer. Though she mostly kept the spotlight on the graduates and not politics, she managed to throw in a line about her support for health care for all.
Josh Groban
The âYou Raise Me Upâ singer is one college dropout whoâs managed to do pretty well for himself. âI believe that it would be better to fail at doing something challenging, something worthwhile, and something Iâm excited to show the world than to succeed doing something safe, something that wouldnât actually inspire much at all,â he told graduates of High Point University in North Carolina on May 8.
Josh Groban Tells HPU Grads to Embrace Fear and Trust Their Instincts. #hpugrad2018
A post shared by High Point University (@highpointu) on May 5, 2018 at 4:52pm PDT
Chance the Rapper
When the artist spoke at Dillard University on May 12, he gave a pop culture-savvy speech featuring Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James. He kept the crowd interested, even on a steamy day in New Orleans.
Queen Latifah
The Girls Trip star was super excited about receiving an honorary doctorate from Rutgers University on May 14. âItâs lessons here at home that made me who I am,â the New Jersey native told the crowd. âYou may not realize it today, but you will over time that the love you find in family in every size, shape, and makeup is a powerful teacher.â
New Jerseyâs own Dr Dana Owens 😊🎓
A post shared by Queen Latifah (@queenlatifah) on May 14, 2018 at 12:05pm PDT
Ronan Farrow
Remember when Ronan Farrow was known simply as the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen? Well, those days are long gone after his dogged reporting for the New Yorker on the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal won him a Pulitzer Prize. Farrow shared with his audience at Loyola Marymount Universityâs May 5 graduation that many people tried to stop him along the way. He told grads that they would have moments in which they might not know the right thing to do. âAnd I hope that in that moment youâll be generous with yourself, but trust that inner voice,â Farrow said.
Jennifer Nettles
Nettles is known for singing, both solo and as part of country duo Sugarland, so it makes sense that she would serenade grads she addressed at Agnes Scott College, outside Atlanta, on May 12. The star, who graduated from the school in 1997, chose to sing a traditional Irish prayer.
Matt Czuchry
The actor, known for his roles on The Good Wife and The Resident, offered a particularly entertaining address. During his speech at the school he graduated from, the College of Charleston, he borrowed a few lines from âMy Shot,â a song from Broadwayâs âHamilton.â
John Lithgow
The Third Rock From the Sun actor co-headlined the ceremony at Dominica University with his wife, economic historian Mary Yeager. âYou received a splendid education here at Dominican, a major achievement and invaluable asset as you set forth in life,â Lithgow advised. âBut it is through your relationships with others that each of you will grow to discover and understand the deepest mystery of life â yourself.â
Thank you to @JohnLithgow and Dr. Mary Yeager for a wonderful and inspiring #keynoteaddress today at #Commencement2018 at Dominican University of California! #JohnLithgow #MaryYeager #Commencement #PenguinPride #ThisIsDUC pic.twitter.com/ekFvCq1LTq
â Dominican University (@DominicanCANews) May 12, 2018
Benicio Del Toro
The Oscar winner was the featured speaker at the Mercersburg, Pa., high school he graduated from back in 1985. He told grads to have conviction in whatever it is they choose to do.
Benicio Del Toro â85 giving the Commencement address. https://t.co/P58F9P9j76 pic.twitter.com/nbdflLce8z
â Mercersburg Academy (@Mercersburg) May 26, 2018
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: