Renowned TDPS Board of Visitor Members, UMD Alumni Sarah Cooper and Adam Shapiro Deliver Spring Commencement Addresses

Watch their remarks to graduates.

On May 23, 2023, the University of Maryland's School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies celebrated graduates at a ceremony at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Renowned TDPS Board of Visitor members and UMD alumni Sarah Cooper '98, a writer, producer, actress and best-selling author, and Adam Shapiro '02, an actor and director, addressed graduates during two memorable (and funny) speeches.

Cooper recently made her off-Broadway debut in Anna Ziegler’s “The Wanderers” at Roundabout Theatre Company. Her bestselling books “How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings” and “100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings” are being adapted for television. She went viral in 2020 for a series of ironic lip-syncing to Donald Trump, garnering over 25 million views. Her comedy special, “Everything’s Fine,” is available for streaming on Netflix. 

She told graduates: “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not going anywhere. If you’re not failing, you’re failing … So go out there, make mistakes, and always remember that your success and how much you accomplish in life is not who you are. It doesn't define you.”

Known for performances in “Steve Jobs,” “Never Have I Ever” and “She Said,” Shapiro has starred in dozens of movies and television shows. In 2018, he made his Broadway debut with his wife actress Katie Lowes in “Waitress.”

He said: “If you take one thing from this address, let it be that you are enough. You are enough to be an actor, a performer, a dancer. And those professions are not just worthy, they are essential.”