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Life Tips from Mary-Louise Parker and Peter Hedges

UNCSA alumni Mary-Louise Parker and Peter Hedges traveled to North Carolina to spend a week working with students in the School of Drama during the spring semester. The week ended with a special event, during which Mary-Louise shared a UNCSA-inspired excerpt from her book, “Dear Mr. You,” with a full house.

Before the reading, Peter invited undergraduates to share their experiences from the week with high school drama students. Here's what they learned:

15 Life Tips from Mary-Louise Parker and Peter Hedges
These are some of our favorite tips shared by students. Be sure to watch the video above to hear them all:

Nobody can get anything that is meant for you.
Learn what makes you special and unique.
Don't wait for someone to give you success, but make your own.
Create with your friends. We are each other's secret weapons.
Love the part of yourself that hates yourself.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
It's possible to have both a family life and a career.
Power comes from silence and honesty.
Some people won't like you, and that's okay. It's probably a good thing.
Make a plan for when you don't have a plan.
Work that makes you passionate is more important than work that makes you money.
Don't expect to know everything right now.
Meditate.
If you land in the doghouse, by all means, bark as loud as you can.
It's not about finding the truth. It's about being truthful.

by Hannah Callaway