Sandra Oh Urges Dartmouth Graduates to Dance in “Destabilizing Times” as She Talks DEI and ‘Grey’s’ Changes She Fought For
Canadian-born Sandra Oh talked to Dartmouth College’s graduating class of 2025 on Sunday and questioned whether bringing up the controversial issues of diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives could get her sent back to her native country.
“What if I say the wrong thing? What if I were to talk about — diversity? Equity? OK, uh, what if I changed the words, like, Including Diverse Equalness — or Diverting Equitable Inclusivity? Would that still be bad? Could I get deported? See, that should be a bad joke and it is, but it’s not,” Oh said during her commencement speech while receiving an honorary doctorate of the arts.
Oh, who won a Golden Globe Award for her work on Grey’s and another for her portrayal of the title character on Killing Eve, told Dartmouth College graduates she was speaking to them during “bewildering and destabilizing times.”
Her address, while not directly naming President Donald Trump amid his backlash against DEI policies, which includes targeting Ivy League institutions like Columbia and Harvard, revealed deep reservations about discussing politics at all.
“I realized that underneath this discomfort I was feeling — the fear, the comparison, the self-judgment — was really a call — to come and share myself with you, despite these doubts,” Oh admitted. She said that Dartmouth College alum Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, first recommended to Oh that she do a commencement speech at her college.
Oh talked about her star turn on Grey’s Anatomy before urging Dartmouth graduates to find inner strength and kindness towards themselves to overcome discomfort in their own lives.
“As some of you know, I had the great privilege of playing Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy for 10 seasons. This opportunity brought me financial stability, fame and privilege. It was also one of the most challenging decades of my life. I learned profound lessons during this time, because so much of it was so uncomfortable,” Oh recalled.
She recounted having to fight for script changes to ensure dialogue for Oh on the medical drama fit her character, and how the series’ writers room had a dedicated “Sandra whisperer” on staff to deal with her requests.
“That doesn’t happen anymore. I am my own whisperer,” Oh insisted.
As she concluded her address, Oh then channeled Dr. Cristina Yang, the medical resident she played for 10 seasons, and called out to the graduating class: “When the world gets hard, or when it’s good—especially when it’s good, like today — by yourself, with people you love, with strangers, always take the time to dance it out!”
That was followed by 15 seconds of dancing to David Guetta’s “Titanium” as graduates and family and friends in the audience rose to their feet in celebration. Among those also receiving honorary degrees along with Oh from Dartmouth was film and TV producer David Benioff, Olympians Judy Geer and Mikaela Shiffrin, and pro baseball pitcher William Greason.
