She encouraged students to be their own cheerleaders. Mindy Kaling has always been an inspiration. From raising her voice for representation to backing a show like Never Have I Ever which makes a case for that. Speaking at Dartmouth in 2018, the Office actor brought her unique self to the fore. “Let me rip off the Band-Aid for all you, the ’18s. Next year, the next year of your life is going to be bad. You have been in the comfortable fleece-lined womb of mother Dartmouth for four years now, and you’re gonna go out in the cold, hard world,” she said.
“Out there in the real world, there will be a target on your back. People will want to confirm their expectations of Ivy League graduates —that you’re a jerk, that you’re spoiled, that you use the word ‘summer’ as a verb. Those stereotypes exist for a reason. I mean come on, the guy from the ten-thousand-dollar bill went to this school. You’re graduating into a world where it seems like everything is falling apart. Trust in institutions are at a record low; the truth doesn’t seem to matter anymore; and for all I know, the president just tweeted us into a war with Wakanda, a country that doesn’t exist,” she continued.
She encouraged the students to be their own cheerleader. “You have to have insane confidence in yourself, even if it’s not real. You need to be your own cheerleader now, because there isn’t a room full of people waiting with pom‑poms to tell you, “You did it! We’ve been waiting all this time for you to succeed!”
“So, I’m giving you permission to root for yourself. And while you’re at it, root for those around you, too….Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, but especially not yourself. Go conquer the world. Just remember this: Why not you? You made it this far,” she said in conclusion.
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