Bates’ words empower graduates

On May 18, SMU graduates, along with family and friends, gathered for a day four to six years in the making. The 87th annual commencement convocation was held in Moody Coliseum.

Those in attendance listened as acclaimed actress Kathy Bates bestowed her knowledge and advice upon them.

Bates, a 1969 SMU graduate who didn’t attend her own graduation, said she was pleased to be back at her alma mater. Bates was on hand to give the commencement and to receive an honorary degree from the Meadows School of the Arts with Doctor of Arts.

Also receiving honorary degrees from SMU were former British cabinet secretary and master of University College, Oxford, Lord Butler of Brockwell, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and author and founding editor of Ms. Magazine Gloria Steinem, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

As she looked back on her time at SMU, Bates reminisced on the friendships she made and the lessons she learned on the Hilltop.

“The lifelong friendships I made here got me through the mean times, the doubtful times,” Bates said.

Bates, winner of both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her role in Misery, found her passion for acting during her first year at SMU.

“I knew in my heart that being on stage felt like home,””she said.

Bates advised the graduating class of 2002, which included 1,756 graduates, that finding yourself and standing up for your beliefs is the most important thing that you can do.

“What’s most important is finding out who you are and that will decide who you will become as a professional,” Bates said. “Developing your humanity is a job that never ends.”

Bates went on to challenge the graduating class to stand up for their beliefs and be authentic, even when they are in the minority. She asked them to make up their own minds and to never let anyone pressure them into what to think.

“I see your faces and you eyes. I feel your energy and your optimism. I feel you, your generation might make a difference,” Bates said. “Life is short so enjoy every minute, every hour and every day.”

As graduates turn to the life that lies ahead of them Bates left them with parting words of encouragement – “love who you are, and you will love what you do. For the old cliché#233; is true – Life is short.”