Watch Pharrell's Entire NYU Commencement Speech Now
He talks about women empowerment, education, and not being like previous generations.
“I’m forever a student,” Pharrell said as he addressed the 2017 graduating class of NYU on the morning of Wednesday, May 17. Donning a purple, white and black robe in front of thousands of students, Pharrell delivered an inspiring call-to-action commencement speech inside Yankee Stadium. The talented producer-cum-designer was given an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by the collegiate institution.
During his 10-minute address, Pharrell urged graduates to “lift up our women” and assured them that they will be the first generation that navigates the world with the “security and confidence to treat women as equal.” As the son of an educator, Pharrell expressed his gratitude to be participating in the graduation and that it would be “a really good look” for him.
Pharrell attended Northwestern University for two years before deciding to pursue his music career full-time. He also visited an NYU class last year to listen to a select group of students’s music from the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
