For those who couldn’t help but wonder what advice Sarah Jessica Parker might offer graduates during Northwestern’s 168th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, the actor and producer’s address at Chicago’s United Center focused on embracing individuality, curiosity and the golden rule.
Before the “Sex and the City” star delivered these lessons, she highlighted the relationship she developed with the 7,805 expected graduates of NU’s Class of 2026 while crafting Sunday’s speech.
“Sincerely graduates, even though we’ve just met, you have become, over these last few months, cohabitants of my life,” Parker said. “A great part of my waking thoughts. A constant distraction and a beautiful burden. In other words, you have become my children.”
Parker was awarded an honorary degree at this year’s ceremony, along with energy researcher Michael Graetzel, award-winning actor and singer Heather Headley and president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges David Skorton.
Parker appeared onstage beside University administrators, including interim President Henry Bienen, who jokingly promised Sunday would mark his “last commencement” during an introductory speech.
Introduced by School of Communication Dean E. Patrick Johnson, Parker shared wisdom with audience members, first conceding that advice is like experience’s “boring cousin” that “no one really wanted to invite.”
Posing a series of what-if questions, Parker began her address by highlighting the difference between constructive advice and social pressure. She stressed the importance of maintaining self-identity throughout young adulthood.
“As we say in acting, ‘Take the note, but do it your own way,’” Parker said. “If you can hold tight to your individuality, sustain a deep belief in who you are, what you want to say, I can assure you that it is a great thing to know how to belong to oneself.”
Parker urged students to foster their curiosity, which she said is more powerful than the “beautiful prison” of comfort.
She called the act of aspiring toward success “a gift,” referencing her upbringing as one of eight children in a family that typically struggled financially.
“Despite the successes you are sure to achieve, material or otherwise, never stop wanting,” Parker said. “In wanting is energy and surprise and youth and motion, and not wanting is the resignation to complacency and inertia.”
Criticizing those who view dreamers as lost in fictional worlds, Parker argued that “to dream is to have vision” and encouraged students to stick to their goals, regardless of any obstacles they may face along the way.
She added that while she considers herself “a bit of a rulebreaker” and that some changes to societal expectations have been positive, students should always rely on the golden rule.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Parker said, eliciting an enthusiastic response from audience members.
Finally, Parker delivered a what-if question for the world, centered on the difficult yet necessary struggle for change. She reflected on how she feels that “an illness born of fear and ignorance” has penetrated social and political spheres, negatively impacting people’s compassion and mutual respect.
Nevertheless, Parker said she believes in NU graduates’ ability to work toward a better future. She cited the American Revolution as an example of positive change that affirmed the “rights of every human being are innate and universal, not granted as privileges by kings or courts or governments.”
“You are a generation of remarkable, brilliant individuals who have experienced the world in a way in which no one else has,” Parker said. “I have one last what-if for you. What if together you broke free from the isolating tides that pull toward apathy and cynicism?”
Lily Mitchell (Bienen ’26) said they appreciated Parker’s statement on prioritizing curiosity over comfort.
They also enjoyed how Parker shared her behind-the-scenes experiences, detailing how she approached the assignment of crafting Sunday’s address.
“I liked that she said that she had us in her mind ever since being asked,” Mitchell said. “I felt that made it seem like she really did care and wanted to be there, and this wasn’t just another event on her calendar.”
Later in the ceremony, the first of two student speakers, Tram Nguyen (Kellogg ’26), recounted trips on the Intercampus Shuttle spent observing NU community members, including an elderly woman who participated in one of the University’s continuing education programs.
Nguyen said watching the woman endure harsh Chicago winters just to “read books in community” every week demonstrated what a gift education can be.
She highlighted her experience as a first-generation college student, adding she was the first in her family to complete high school, college and now graduate school.
“So many people held a door open for me before I even knew I was walking through one,” she said. “My parents, the teachers who stayed after class, the friends who showed up, the strangers who were kind at the right moment.”
Nguyen mirrored Parker’s message, suggesting that while some advice will help graduates grow, other messages will urge them “to shrink.” She added that “learning to tell them apart” will be essential as Sunday’s graduates navigate the next chapter of their lives.
Mitchell said they appreciated the “relatability” of Nguyen’s speech, including when she joked about students’ common frustration with the University’s two-factor authentication system.
They said her speech reiterated that as NU graduates move forward, it is important to recognize just how far they’ve come together.
“I think the grad and the undergrad speaker did a really good job of bringing us together,” Mitchell said. “We’re all graduating in different things and going to different places, but we still all did have similar experiences throughout Northwestern.”
Echoing Mitchell’s sentiment, María José Gómez (SESP M.S. ’26) said both student speakers “covered the whole Northwestern experience.”
As an international student, Gómez’s family traveled from Colombia to attend the ceremony. Sunday marked more than just the conclusion of her time in Evanston.
“It’s Father’s Day in Colombia today, and my dad is extremely excited,” Gómez said. “It’s a beautiful moment that culminates all this effort that I believe is not just my effort, but my family’s effort.”
Undergraduate student speaker Sydney-Reese Harris (Weinberg ’26) recalled pleading to return home less than 24 hours after arriving at NU in 2022, crediting her mother’s “tough love” with giving her the motivation to stay.
Despite her initial homesickness, Harris said she got involved on campus and eventually “met lifelong friends.” Together, they enjoyed unpacking “campus lore” at the now-closed Chili’s Evanston, an institution she called “gone but never forgotten,” garnering rapturous applause.
Beyond those joyful moments, Harris said NU’s Class of 2026 has endured “one of the most tumultuous times in history,” calling the last four years particularly difficult for higher education.
She said her support system was crucial in helping her overcome these challenges.
“In those heavy moments, I leaned on the very Northwestern community I once doubted I’d ever find,” Harris said. “I urge each of you, no matter how the future of higher education unfolds or how you feel about Northwestern as an institution, to remember what you truly gained here. Not just a degree, but growth, resilience and a community that will last a lifetime.”
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