A NY Post article today described how Elin Nordegren, Tiger Woods' ex, just gave the commencement speech at Rollins College, from which she is graduating.
She also received the Outstanding Senior Award.
In her speech, Nordegren said, “Education has been the only consistent part of my life for the last nine years. And it has offered me comfort — because education is the one thing that no one can take away from you.”
(That much is certainly true. Despite all the tumult in Tiger Woods' life over the past several years, no one has suggested stripping him of his Stanford BA. Money, however, is another matter: a certain gold digger was recently reported to have scored $110 million off him.)
Nordegren continued, "In the fall of 2005, I was 25 years old. I had just recently moved to America. I was married without children. Today, nine years later, I am a proud American and I have two beautiful children. But I am no longer married."
Nordegren continued, "In the fall of 2005, I was 25 years old. I had just recently moved to America. I was married without children. Today, nine years later, I am a proud American and I have two beautiful children. But I am no longer married."
(She's leaving out one crucial detail: she's far, far richer than when she first came to the land of opportunity. Hint: she didn't get that way from her work as a nanny; it actually has more to do with her no longer being married.)
Nordegren concluded, “My hope is that today I’m showing my children, Sam and Charlie — who’s sleeping in his chair — that it’s never too late to follow your dream.”
Nordegren concluded, “My hope is that today I’m showing my children, Sam and Charlie — who’s sleeping in his chair — that it’s never too late to follow your dream.”
(If Sam's and Charlie's dream is to get a college degree, Nordegren is right. If, however, their dream is to marry money, then it becomes too late all too rapidly, as one ages and loses one's looks.)
A more fitting last line might have been, "If you want to succeed in life, you have to be like me -- I had the eye of the Tiger."
(Don't mistake me for a Woods fan. I'm just disgusted that a gold-digger is lionized while an actual self-made woman is prevented from delivering a commencement address.)
(Don't mistake me for a Woods fan. I'm just disgusted that a gold-digger is lionized while an actual self-made woman is prevented from delivering a commencement address.)
Posts
8 comments:
John-This post just shows the denial people live in. The truth might be more like "I happened to be born a beautiful blond with a killer body, and while still very young I shagged a mega wealthy black man with white fever who was naive enough not to have me sign a prenup and I was in so much emotional pain that I used college as a distraction and to dupe myself into thinking I was an everyday woman". "I used the legal system here in the US to completely screw him royally". Well, you get the picture. In reality, she has nothing in common with anyone in the audience and it's amazing that anyone would even want to hear her victim story. It also points to the fact that (overwhelmingly) in a divorce the woman is always the one wronged. Furthermore, the greedy college is using her fame and fortune to line their pockets and milk her for all she's worth. Well, I try not to have an attitude:) Happy Mother's Day! Brian
Brian --
Your analysis is perfect….I hadn't even thought of the Mother's Day connection.
A rather galling speech. She also happens to be the daughter of a bloody Swedish governor, Barbro Holmberg. Even if she would've stayed in Sweden (thanks for taking her off our hands, by the way) it's not like she would've had to live on the streets, eating cold rocks for dinner.
It strikes me as very strange that someone of her background and age (at the time) would work as a nanny.
A --
Hadn't realized she was the daughter of a Swedish governor.
I don't think it's that uncommon for a girl in her early twenties to be working as a nanny, especially as a fall-back option given that her modeling career didn't seem to be taking off. I actually respect that work -- where she was at least supporting herself -- more than what she did later on.
"It's never too late to follow your dream..."
...if your dream is to take ten years to get a four-year degree. If, on the other hand, your dream is to be a hundred-millionaire, and you have nothing except the ability to look good naked, then you'd better hurry before Time robs you of your only talent.
Anon --
Exactly.
I wonder if there was another senior who was more deserving of the "outstanding senior" award, that was given to Elin. It took Elin nine to ten years to reach her goal, getting her Psych. degree, whereas, most students get their degree in a lesser time frame. Many students really work hard to achieve their degree by working and going to school at the same time, not always an easy accomplishment. Due to her lifestyle, Elin could take her leisurely time getting her Psych. degree. I'm sure that there was someone else who was more deserving of the "outstanding senior" award.
Anon --
Well put. I'd imagine at least half the seniors in the graduating class deserved that honor more than Nordegren did.
Post a Comment