Kerry Washington
Actor and George Washington University alumna
Kerry Washington, a GW alumna, addresses the 2013 graduating class, drawing on her undergraduate experience and Joseph Campbell's concept of the hero's journey to frame graduates' lives as stories they must author themselves. She recounts overcoming fear to accept an unexpected acting role in a college musical about frogs as an example of answering the 'call to adventure' and stepping outside one's comfort zone. She celebrates specific graduates' accomplishments and urges them to define their own paths rather than follow others' scripts.
Key moments
- 01 Wearing her mother Dr. Valerie Washington's doctoral regalia and thanking families
- 02 Explaining Joseph Campbell's hero's journey and the 'call to adventure'
- 03 Recounting her scholarship-required audition for and role in 'Croak, the Last Frog'
- 04 Highlighting specific 2013 graduates' achievements and urging them to write their own stories
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Kerry Washington at GW, 2013
A George Washington University address about voice, family roots, authentic roles, public service, courage, and carrying others forward.
Speech arc
- 01George Washington University
Opening move
- 02Class of 2013
Speech beat
- 03The Ellipse
Speech beat
- 04Family roots
Speech beat
- 05Mother's robe
Speech beat
- 06Use your voice
Speech beat
- 07Public service
Speech beat
- 08Carry others forward
Final charge
Homecoming: A return turns biography into charge
Washington comes back to the Ellipse and connects her own GW years to the graduates standing at the same threshold.
Place
The ceremony setting becomes part of the message: education happens near public life.
Memory
She recalls being a student, activist, and performer to make the advice concrete.
Bridge
Her return links who graduates have been with who they can choose to become.
Washington comes back to the Ellipse and connects her own GW years to the graduates standing at the same threshold.
Roots: Family and mentors travel with you
The borrowed doctoral robe from her mother becomes a symbol of love, discipline, learning, and generational support.
Robe
The garment is more than regalia; it carries family grace and expectation into the speech.
Support
Graduates are asked to recognize the people whose care made the day possible.
Continuity
A life of purpose grows from the communities that believe in you first.
The borrowed doctoral robe from her mother becomes a symbol of love, discipline, learning, and generational support.
Role: Do not perform a smaller self for approval
Washington uses the language of acting to ask graduates to choose authentic roles instead of chasing applause.
Script
Life will not hand graduates a finished script; they must write with values and courage.
Voice
The address treats voice as a gift and a responsibility, not only self-expression.
Truth
Integrity means refusing to trade truth for comfort or approval.
Washington uses the language of acting to ask graduates to choose authentic roles instead of chasing applause.
• Key takeaways •
Know your story
Connects to voice.
Use your voice
Connects to identity.
Choose service
Connects to family.
Act with courage
Connects to public service.
Carry others forward
Connects to courage.
Closing charge
The closing charge points graduates toward civic participation, community, risk, and carrying others forward.
Platform becomes meaningful through service
Public
Vote, organize, ask questions, and shape the future of communities.
Courage
Courage is choosing what matters even when fear is present.
Community
Graduates are told to lift as they climb and make space for others.
The closing charge points graduates toward civic participation, community, risk, and carrying others forward.
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Transcript
No official full transcript has been located yet. A video of the address is available above.
Machine transcript available for archive analysis; it is unverified and may contain transcription errors. Machine transcript source ->
Provenance
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