Kylie Kelce addressed graduates at Cabrini University, her alma mater, in an inspiring commencement speech as the school prepares to close after 67 years.
Kelce, 32, spoke in front of 3,200 students in Radnor, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, May 19, teasing that the school “couldn’t even get a top five Kelce” for the big day.
“My husband, Jason Kelce, is known for giving some pretty earth-shattering speeches,” she began, in reference to her husband’s recent NFL retirement speech and his memorable 2018 Super Bowl remarks. “He did not help me in writing my words today, so you can go ahead and lower those expectations.”
She continued: “Everyone’s first question after graduation is, ‘What’s next?’ ‘I don’t know’ can be an honest and sufficient answer. The truth is that no one has their lives completely figured out, and if someone tells you otherwise, they are lying.”
Kylie, who graduated from Cabrini with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 2017, married Jason the following year. The couple share three daughters — Wyatt, 4, Ellie, 3, and Bennett, 15 months — and raising a family has come with some important lessons.
“This is part of the beauty of growing older and wiser,” Kylie said. “You are better equipped with knowledge to make more informed decisions. Just look at me now. I’m 32, mom of three. Where did the time go? I couldn’t tell you.”
Kylie candidly confessed that she often feels like she has “no idea” what she’s doing, adding, “Every day, we are winging it. Just trying not to mess our kids up — come to find out that’s what our parents did too.”
During her time at the school, she played field hockey for the Cabrini Cavaliers, competing in the NCAA Division III tournament and earning the title of Colonial States Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Kylie also highlighted the significance of preserving each graduating student’s unique qualities and personality traits, emphasizing the importance of using distinctive attributes to stand out in their post-college life.
“What a boring world it would be if you and your classmates sitting to either side of you thought exactly the same way, enjoyed exactly the same things and partook in exactly the same activities,” she explained.
She added: “I am well aware that my current position in life is due to the wonderful people around me, but I’ll be damned if I don’t stay true to myself in everything I do and ensure that I am always authentically me. So find the things that speak to you. Your enthusiasm can be channeled to create change, and you are wonderful the way you are.”
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Kylie concluded her speech by calling Cabrini “home” and the students an “extended family.”
“In the next few months, as the sign at the front entrance no longer reads Cabrini, and a new school moves in, know that your home still exists,” she said. “It is around you living inside of everyone who came along and fell in love with this place, because although it is picturesque, it is not the campus that makes it so hard to leave.”
Kylie’s inspiring message comes amid uproar over Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s recent commencement speech at Benedictine University. Butker — who plays alongside Kylie’s brother-in-law, Travis Kelce — sparked backlash after claiming that the women of the graduating class “are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world” and comparing Pride Month to “deadly sins.” Butker has not directly addressed the criticism, but the NFL issued a statement declaring his views are not aligned with those of the league.
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