Angela Bassett receives honorary doctorate from Old Dominion University

“As you go out into the world today as graduates, always remember this: The great poet Nikki Giovanni once said, ‘I really don’t think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure. But I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try,’” she maintained.

“Monarchs, you didn’t come this far to come this far,” Bassett continued. “You came this far to excel. You came this far to soar to heights that you, your parents, your grandparents, your ancestors sacrificed and prayed for you to reach.”

Bassett, an alumna of Yale University, is known for her award-winning Hollywood career that spans three decades. Her film and television credits include What’s Love Got to Do with It, Black Panther, Mission Impossible – Fallout, Malcolm X, 9-1-1 on Fox, and American Horror Story, to name a few.

“Thanks to a little film called Black Panther, I think I know a little bit about royalty … well, fictional royalty at least,” Bassett joked while speaking to the graduates about honoring the values represented by ODU’s mascot, the Monarch, a lion donning a crown on its head. 

“It’s about your leadership and your legacy,” she asserted. “That’s the real crown that I want you to wear every day when you step out into the world.”

Bassett holds an honorary doctorate from Morehouse College as well as an honorary doctorate from her alma mater. She shared on Instagram that she is “happy and humbled” to receive her Doctor of Humane Letters from Old Dominion. 

Watch her full ODU commencement speech below.

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