KINGSTON, R.I.—May 22, 2024—University of Rhode Island Commencement speaker Viola Davis called on students to love during Saturday’s ceremonies. “We cannot learn, live or grow without it,” said Davis. In a stirring keynote she urged students to look inside themselves, to face their demons, grow and heal.

“The healed one becomes the healer,” she said. “And the world is in desperate need of an elixir and healers.”

A graduate of Rhode Island’s Central Falls High School, Davis is one of only 19 people to have achieved EGOT status and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from URI during the ceremony. Watch her full remarks.