Commencement Speech at Dartmouth, Help from Shonda Rhimes

Sandra Oh may have played Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy for 10 seasons, but now she can say she’s a doctor for real!

On Monday, June 16, Oh revealed that she had received an honorary degree from Dartmouth College. In an Instagram carousel of snaps from the momentous occasion, she shared a photo of herself wearing a graduation gown and glasses while delivering the commencement speech to the 2025 class.

She also shared another snap of her jumping up and down onstage alongside her peers. The upload was rounded out with pictures of Oh posing with graduates, behind-the-scenes footage of the ceremony, and more.

In her caption, Oh revealed that she received creative advice from Grey’s Anatomy producer, Shonda Rhimes, for the words she said on the day.

“A Dr. for real reals!! (Okay, honorary),” her caption began. “🙏 She went on to thank the 55-year-old producer for her “creative sisterhood.”

Oh, 53, began her commencement speech, “It’s an honor to be here with you on this momentous occasion. Congratulations. You did it!” she said.

“I never attended university myself. Only played characters who have. So thank you for helping fulfill my parents’ dream of me actually getting a degree. And a doctorate at that! I know it’s honorary,” she quipped.

At one point in her speech, Oh explained that it was her former boss, Rhimes, who encouraged her to speak at the ceremony.

“Actually, it was Shonda Rhimes, one of your alums, and my former boss, who called me. And when she presented the offer to come speak to you all, I thought…’Huh- Well, that’s nice to be asked. What a privilege, and what a great opportunity to come meet you all… ’And then I thought —ABSOLUTELY NOT.”

Oh went on to explain the importance of finding comfort in discomfort. “It can be our greatest learning opportunity. And it is also Inevitable. So, if you can train yourself not to turn away, but to learn to be with your discomfort — and trust that it might be telling you something you don’t yet know.”

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The award-winning actress played Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC series for 10 seasons. During a conversation with PEOPLE at the Gold House 4th Annual Gold Gala in May, Oh revealed she doesn’t watch reruns of the show.

“I gotta tell you, I’ve put that gently aside,” she explained.

While the star may have said goodbye to the show, her character’s memory has been kept alive through phone calls and written messages with other characters. Her former co-star, Kevin McKidd, said he would love for Oh’s character to return to the series. 

He reasoned that his character (Owen Hunt) “didn’t really get a proper goodbye” with Yang, during a conversation with PEOPLE last March.