Watch: THE OFFSPRING Frontman DEXTER HOLLAND Delivers USC Dornsife Commencement Address

On May 15, THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland — who holds a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, a master's degree, and a PhD in molecular biology from USC Dornsife — delivered an inspiring speech at the 2026 commencement ceremony at USC's Alumni Park on the University Park Campus in Los Angeles, California. Holland encouraged about 2,000 graduates to pursue their passions, no matter how disparate they may seem, and to always be prepared to pivot.

In his 10-minute speech, which can be seen in its entirety below, Holland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Thank you, [USC Dornsife] Dean [James] Bullock, and thank you for this medallion. It is such an honor to be recognized as a distinguished alumni.

"It's great to be here. This is a really different audience for me. Usually I just run around the stage while you guys mosh or crowd surf. I don't think we'll be seeing a lot of that today.

"To be honest, days like today are kinda surreal for me. It's moments like these where I'm waiting for the ball to drop. It's like this is some kind of elaborate joke or that I don't belong, and I'm gonna wake up from this daydream and be back in high school drooling on my desk. But here we are, and imposter syndrome aside, Dean Bullock, I'm truly honored to be here delivering the commencement address for the University of Southern California Dornsife's graduating class of 2026.

"To the faculty who have guided this class and to the parents and friends here, thank you for being present today and for being their support every day on this journey. As a USC graduate, I wanna say that USC Dornsife is where I learned some of the most important skills of my life. It's where I learned how to think, how to do research and essentially where I learned how to harness the gravity of aspiration. The gravity of aspiration. I learned that when you have a goal that carries enough weight, it creates its own will, its own pull, a force that's pulled me throughout and kept me moving even when I was struggling.

"Anyway, and now to the class of 2026, you guys did it. Yes. Yes. I know some of you are probably thinking, 'Great. The obligatory speech. Can we please get this over with so I can listen to 2,000 names being read off?' And I get it. I've sat exactly where you're sitting now. I was half terrified and half relieved to be graduating. I remember an anxiety, feeling like, 'Okay, I graduated, I got my diploma, and now the world seems to be shouting, 'Now what? What are you gonna do with your future?'' Like graduation is the first rung on some ladder, and your next step should be up, never sideways.

"My own pressure came from feeling pulled in two different directions — one toward science and one toward art, two seemingly opposite aspirations, each with its own gravity. I loved the definitive logic of science, but I was also drawn toward the energy and freedom in music. And it's like there's some kind of rule that there's this wall between science and art, like they are two completely separate things. One is the brain and one is the heart, and never shall they meet, or so I thought. You're told to pick a lane, and it feels like a massive, heavy decision that you have to stick with. But I've learned that life is an iterative process. You try something, you make adjustments and you try again. Things will sort themselves out if you trust the weight of what you care about. And maybe I used to think that life was more of a straight line — you study, you graduate, you download ChatGPT, and you will succeed. Maybe ChatGPT comes first; I don't know. But the the real story is always messier, not a straight line at all. My story was a lot messier.

"I am what they call a triple Trojan. Thank you. That means that I actually graduated from USC three times — on purpose. On purpose. I have a bachelor's, a master's and a PhD, all from USC. I guess I couldn't get enough graduating, or maybe I was just avoiding the real world. But my journey at USC started straight out of high school as a pre-med student, and I was convinced I wanted to be a doctor. I knew that helping people was important to me, and I thought that was the way to do it. That was going to be my destiny. And at the same time, I decided to start a punk band while I was at USC. I know, it just seemed like the right thing to do. It seemed as logical then as it doesn't seem logical now. But anyway, I pursued both my pre-med studies and my band, and after seven short years, received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences. But through taking all these classes, I realized I really loved molecular biology more than I wanted to go to medical school. I was fascinated by DNA, the code of life, and how genetic expression could be harnessed to enhance life. That was a big aspiration pulling me in. But I was also playing in my punk band, and that had a pull all its own. I decided to continue to pursue both paths. I went on and earned my master's in molecular biology while playing Hollywood clubs at night. But I was still feeling pulled in both directions, and I felt guilty for continuing to pursue my passion in music and not focusing on the safer path of a science career. I felt like I was supposed to be one or the other, that it was impossible to be both. And despite all of that, I went back to USC to pursue a doctorate while secretly playing with my band as well. Secretly. See, I was worried that if my professors found out that I was in a band, they would think that I wasn't serious about the science and kick me out, even though I was super serious about the science. So I just didn't tell them. That's not lying, right? And somehow, while I was in grad school here at USC, my band took off. It was a little song I had written in the lab right here on campus with the line, 'You gotta keep 'em separated.' I wrote it right here one day in the lab while I was washing and sterilizing flasks. So how about that? A little manual labor for inspiration. And that moment was surreal, as it continues to be surreal today. Surreal like when the USC marching band plays one of my songs, like 'The Kids Aren't Alright' or 'Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)'. And those experiences have taught me that art and science absolutely do intersect. They intersect by using the creativity that naturally lives inside you and injecting the critical thinking that you've developed here at USC.

"The gravity of my aspiration has finally come together, and it still astounds me that we have songs that people know, that we still play concerts all over the world. We even have a song that's been streamed over a billion times on Spotify, and for which Spotify has paid us almost $100. Two zeros. I eventually came back to USC and finished my PhD in 2017. And why? Because I believe that we're all here to make a contribution, to build on this wealth of knowledge. You don't have to provide the whole solution, but you can be a part of it.

"Life is not a straight line, but a series of pivots. Be prepared to pivot, especially if you follow your passions. My path took me from education to rock and roll and back to education.

"Graduates, the gravity of your aspiration brought you to USC. Your passion drove you to the stage today. You stuck with it, and you've earned the congratulations you're receiving here. So well done. Well done, class of 2026. And parents, I know that many of you never thought this day would actually come because it feels like five minutes ago you were dropping them off for the first day of kindergarten, and a couple seconds later, here they are, college graduates. It's astounding. Your child is a USC Dornsife graduate. So you know what? Let's hear it. Let's hear it for the parents here today. Way to go, parents.

"So USC Dornsife graduates, after you leave here today, you're going to be asked, 'What are you going to be?' As if you can truly be only one thing for the rest of your life. I hope you reject that premise. I hope you find your dual life, that you harness the gravity of your aspiration, because the gravity that pulls you also grounds you. I hope you never feel forced to trade your aspiration for a paycheck or your passion for a title. I hope you find the space to be both a rigorous thinker and a wild dreamer. We need people who can solve the world's most complex problems with a scientist's precision, but we also need people who can see the world through an artist's eyes and heart. And when life hands you an unexpected tour bus while you're busy in the lab, I hope you get on that bus, at least for a while. Make decisions that are driven by your heart, but guided by the critical thinking you've learned here. I hope that throughout your life you achieve things so cool and so legit that you too, like me, stop and wonder whether this is really happening. Don't just choose a career, choose a life that is as messy and as brilliant as you are.

"Class of 2026, the stage is yours. Fight on!"

Holland was a student at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences in 1988, a master's degree in molecular biology in 1990 and a PhD in molecular biology in 2017.

"Dexter Holland earned his PhD in molecular biology and also fronts one of the defining bands of the last 30 years," said USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock. "That combination isn't a contradiction. It exemplifies how the liberal arts develop the intellectual range to go deep in a field as well as the confidence to build something entirely your own outside of it."

Holland previously delivered the commencement address for USC's Keck School of Medicine in 2022.

THE OFFSPRING recently completed the North American leg of the "Supercharged Worldwide In '26" tour. The tour celebrated an incredible couple years for THE OFFSPRING as they released their latest "Supercharged" album, reached historic milestones (with multiple songs joining the coveted Spotify Billions chart),touring around the globe (joined by some pretty famous special guests) and their song "Make It All Right" hit No. 1 on not only the Alternative Rock chart but the Alternative Airplay chart, Active Rock chart and the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.

The band continued to cement their legacy as one of the most popular punk bands of all time as they performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" , "CBS This Morning" and were featured in Men's Health, USA Today, Billboard, "Artist Friendly With Joel Madden", "Bertcast with Brett Kreischer" and more. Not to mention over the past year THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland joined numerous music legends onstage, including fellow punk legends NOFX for their final show in Los Angeles. Previously he joined fellow California natives, and legendary American rock band THE BEACH BOYS at Ocean's Calling festival. Dexter surprised fans when he performed "Wouldn't It Be Nice" with THE BEACH BOYS.

THE OFFSPRING also had a string of their special guests joining them onstage including Yungblud at Switzerland's Open Air Gampel festival for THE OFFSPRING's "Self Esteem", Ed Sheeran broke the Internet when he join them at BottleRock festival for THE OFFSPRING's "Million Miles Away" and QUEEN's Brian May performed with them for a rendition of THE OFFSPRING's "Gone Away" and a cover of QUEEN's "Stone Cold Crazy".

THE OFFSPRING is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name MANIC SUBSIDAL, the band's lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Noodles, bassist Todd Morse, drummer Brandon Pertzborn, and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy. Over the course of their longstanding career, they have released ten studio albums. THE OFFSPRING is often credited, alongside fellow California bands GREEN DAY and RANCID, for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the 1990s. They have sold over 40 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands in history.