According to The Virginian Pilot, the Hip-Hop icon made a keynote lecture to a class of 400 students on December 10, whom she referred to as “innovators, visionaries, and leaders” over the weekend.
“I am proud of y’all, and y’all should be proud of y’all self,” Elliott said, according to Billboard. “I want you to look at each other and say, ‘You already won.’ Let ’em know! Ain’t no winning, you already the one. ‘Cause y’all coulda been doing anything else the last few years, y’all coulda been wildin’ out, but y’all decided to finish the course. And that’s major.”
The educational experience for the Virginia native was a full circle occasion.
Elliott revealed that she once played music in her automobile at the Historical Black College and University despite not being a student. She is now a four-time Grammy winner, proving that anything is possible.
Missy Elliott Receives Two Honors
Missy Elliott was also presented with the Presidential Commencement Medallion and an honorary doctorate, marking her second such achievement.
In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.