(Photo Source: kent.ac.uk)

University Of Kent Honors Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding quit the University of Kent in 2008 to pursue her musical ambitions. Now that she’s an international sensation, Goulding collected an honorary Doctorate of Arts degree from the school she once attended. At the graduation ceremony, she apologized for dropping out.

Goulding admitted she was “not the most linear of students,” but that she did not regret attending college. She said going to college made her a “much more open-minded person” and she was “more focused and driven than ever before” as a student at Kent. She said she regretted dropping out, because she “never got to experience this sheer joy…and utter relief of graduating, so I’m going to be making the most of it while I’m here.”

She also apologized to her drama instructor for her abrupt e-mail announcing she was quitting school in her final year to pursue music. She apparently told the instructor she was leaving Kent but invited him to listen to her songs on MySpace.

Ellie also told fellow graduates to focus on protecting the environment, which she called responsibility for everyone. “Our beautiful planet is in deep trouble,” she said.

Since then, Goulding’s career has soared. In 2018, she performed at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding reception. She has recorded several Billboard Hits, including “Lights,” and “Fire.”