Kristen Bell

Hello. Good morning, class of 2019. Thank you so much for having me. It is an incredible honor to stand here before you today.

Thank you to the faculty, to the guests, the families, and to all the gorgeous students among us who are, beyond the shadow of a doubt, nursing raging hangovers and praying that this Disney princess keeps the Let It Go metaphors to a minimum. So, I see you. I got you. I wanna start today by sharing a secret about myself that you might not know.

I did not graduate from college. Whoopsies. Dean is in a full flop sweat thinking, "Oh my God, nobody double-checked." I had a feeling when I saw her outfit, because no one with a respectable degree would wear hoops of that size.

Who let her in here? But that leads me to another thing about me, which is, I'm nice. And as it turns out, when you are nice, people tend to overlook a lot.

In some cases, this could include experience, credentials, not having your driver's license at airport security. And yes, that's a true story. Twice. And you might say, "Kristen, no, that's not a result of being nice.

That's the result and the privilege of being a recognizable person." And okay, that may be true, but I will counter with my husband, who is also highly recognizable and doesn't get away with anything. Literally 10 out of 10 times, he is getting a pat-down at TSA.

And that's because he's just not as nice as me. Don't get me wrong, I love him. I love him. He's brilliant, he's hilarious.

He's literally my favorite person, but is he the nicest person? Eh, I don't know, guys. I just don't know.

And I tell you this at the risk of divorce because I can't offer you the tricks of how to wield your shining diploma to ensure success. I can't tell you the answer to the age-old actor's dilemma, should I move to New York?

Should I stay in LA? And for goodness sakes, I cannot tell you what a Magna Carta is or what it even does. I literally don't know.

I don't have to answer any of those questions. And and let me tell you a secret, nobody has the answer to those questions.

My sole trick to share with you is when you listen, when you really listen to people, when you listen as fiercely as you want to be heard, when you respect the idea that you are sharing the earth with other humans, and when you lead with your nice foot forward, you'll win every time. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it comes back to you when you need it.

We live in an age of instant gratification, right? Of immediate likes, and it is uncomfortable to have to wait to see the dividends of your kindness, but I promise you, it will appear exactly when you need it. It will appear at the precise moment when you pass gas in an elevator and everyone blames your husband instead of you.