Kylie Kelce said goodbye to her alma mater. The 32-year-old, who is married to Jason Kelce, sent off Cabrini University’s final graduating class on May 19 with a commencement speech that included playful teasing of herself and the school, as it will close indefinitely June 30.
“First, your high school graduation was stolen from you by a global pandemic, then your college announced it was closing and your senior year was spent on a campus that resembled a ghost town,” Kylie opened her speech at the ceremony, before joking. “You couldn’t even get a top five Kelce as your commencement speaker.”
She went on to reference the moving retirement speech from professional football Jason—with whom she shares children Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 15 months—made in March and noted her speech would not quite match with the emotion. “My husband Jason Kelce is known for giving some pretty earth-shattering speeches,” Kylie continued. “He did not help me in writing my words today so you can go ahead and lower those expectations.”
She further gave a nod to her family’s meteoric rise to fame when Jason’s brother Travis Kelce began dating Taylor Swift last fall. “What an honor it is to speak to you today,” she added. “When I was asked, my first instinct was, ‘Absolutely not.’ Contrary to the current state of the pop culture news cycle, I really prefer to fly under the radar.”
However, the Cabrini University 2017 graduate managed to deliver a heartfelt speech about her time at the school, where she played field hockey, and gave the soon-to-depart students some age-old advice—fake it until you make it.
“Just look at me now. I’m 32, mom of three, where did the time go?” Kylie expressed. “I couldn’t tell you, but what I can tell you is I have no idea what I’m doing.” For someone who claims to be taking life one step at a time, Kylie has supported her family through a whirlwind few years. After all, the Philadelphia Eagles—the team where her husband spent his entire 13-year NFL career—won the Super Bowl just months before she and Jason tied the knot in 2018.
Then, just days before the duo welcomed their youngest daughter in 2023, Jason went head-to-head with Travis’ team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the Super Bowl. (Travis’ team ultimately came out on top.) And while Kylie maintains a humble outlook on herself, Jason has given her the credit she deserves in the past.
“I think it’s no coincidence I have enjoyed my best years of my career with Kylie by my side,” Jason said during his retirement speech in March. “Every accolade I have ever received has come with her in my life. She has brought the best out of me through love, devotion, support, honesty, intelligence, and, of course, a swift kick in the ass from time to time.”
