HARDY Gives Inspiring Commencement Speech At His Alma Mater

Helen Comer/The Daily News Journal

Over the weekend, Singer-songwriter HARDY returned to his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University, to deliver an inspiring commencement speech at their Spring graduation ceremony.

Addressing a crowd of over 2,400 graduates, HARDY, born Micheal Hardy, shared valuable insights about taking risks and embracing opportunities, drawing from his own experiences in the music industry.

During his speech, HARDY shared a pivotal moment in his career when he decided to collaborate with an up-and-coming artist, later revealed to be Morgan Wallen. Despite having doubts at first, as Wallen was relatively unknown at the time, HARDY took the risk, which ultimately led to major achievements like his first hit song and securing a record deal. Encouraging graduates to take similar leaps of faith, HARDY stressed the importance of embracing new opportunities and challenges, sharing how saying “yes” can significantly impact their journey.

“There is a very big chance that none of that would have happened if I had not said yes to my friend Morgan Wallen back in 2016. My point is this: Don’t be afraid to say yes to an opportunity just because you don’t think you will see an immediate result. You never know where your successes will come from. Take a chance on yourself.”

 

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HARDY also discussed the significance of self-confidence and self-awareness in achieving success. While acknowledging the value of seizing opportunities, he advised graduates to trust their instincts and advocate for themselves, even if it involves turning down opportunities.

“If your gut is ever telling you to stand up for yourself, go with your gut every single time. And when you do that, you gain pride, and when you gain pride you gain self-confidence, and self-confidence is fuel for success,” he added.

After the ceremony, HARDY shared his thoughts on Instagram, describing the opportunity as a “humbling experience.”

“Got to deliver the commencement speech at my alma mater. Truly humbling experience. Thank you MTSU,” he wrote alongside a video of his speech.

Watch HARDY give the commencement speech at his alma mater in the video below.