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The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star delivers an inspiring speech, leading Dartmouth grads in a joyful ‘dance it out’ moment at the end
MANILA, Philippines – Emmy-nominated actress Sandra Oh, known for her compelling roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve, was bestowed with an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College during the Class of 2025 Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 15.
The commencement address, delivered by Oh, culminated in a memorable and joyous moment. “By yourself, with your friends, people you love, with strangers, always make the time to dance it out!” she called to the crowd, prompting graduates, faculty, and family members to rise and collectively move to David Guetta’s “Titanium.”
This 15-second burst of energy was a playful homage to her beloved Grey’s Anatomy character, Dr. Cristina Yang.
In her address, Oh shared her reflections on personal growth, kindness, silence, discomfort, and even musings on her time as Dr. Yang. “Nothing has taught me more than being with discomfort,” she stated. “It can be our greatest learning opportunity. And it is also inevitable.”
That day, Dartmouth College conferred a total of 2,178 degrees and presented honorary doctorates to seven distinguished individuals. Alongside Oh, Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, Game of Thrones co-creator David Benioff, former US surgeon general Antonia Novello, Senior Counselor to the United States Secretary of the Interior Lynn Trujillo, Olympic rower Judy Geer, and Baptist minister William Greason were also honored.
While Oh has built a career portraying intelligent and accomplished women, she humorously shared a personal contrast to her on-screen personas.
In her speech, she referenced how she gave up university for acting, joking that she “only played characters who did attend higher education.” Oh added that this honorary doctorate was a dream fulfilled, especially for her parents.
One of her last but most impactful points was about kindness, and how hard it was to find these days.
“It’s certainly not reflected in many of our world leaders, who claim power through fear and oppression and cruelty. A lot of us are scared and angry about what’s going on in the world,” she said.
“In times like these, kindness might seem naive or pointless. But when I say kindness, I’m not talking about ‘being nice.’ I’m talking about being able to hold your own heartbreak, so we can go on living — go on resisting, go on building, go on healing,” she added.
Oh also revealed that her former Grey’s Anatomy boss and Dartmouth alumna, showrunner Shonda Rhimes, had personally recommended her for the commencement stage.
Following the event, Oh celebrated her new academic title with characteristic wit. She posted a photo in her academic regalia on social media, captioning it: “A Dr. for real reals!! (Okay, honorary).” – with reports by Angela Divina/Rappler.com
Content shared from www.rappler.com.