BRIDGEWATER -- What do Donald Trump, the Isley Brothers, and lyrics from Taylor Swift’s hit, “Shake It Off’’ have in common?
Elizabeth Warren wove them into a commencement address Saturday at Bridgewater State University, where she recounted her journey from college dropout to US senator in a speech that included advice, jabs at Wall Street, and laugh lines.
Warren said her life story is replete with “mistakes and twists and turns and failures.’’ She encouraged the Class of 2016 to embrace the unexpected and get to know who they are.
“Heck, on my day of graduation, I never imagined I would visit foreign countries. I never imagined I would be a commencement speaker. I never imagined I would get into a Twitter war with Donald Trump,’’ said Warren, drawing laughs and applause.
Warren spoke at the first of two commencement ceremonies the school held Saturday and received an honorary doctorate of public service. The university is awarding about 2,200 undergraduate degrees this year, a spokeswoman said.
The speech came as Warren marches through the 2016 election season as an anti-Trump surrogate who is seen by some as a potential vice presidential pick for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“I think that Donald Trump is a truly dangerous man and there is some risk that he could be president of the United States,’’ Warren told reporters after the graduation. “I think it’s time for all of us to pay careful attention to him and to the issues that he has raised and to start fighting back.’’
University President Frederick W. Clark Jr.commented on speculation that Warren might run for vice president.
“I don’t know about this business of being a running mate,’’ he said. “I think she should just be the candidate.’’
Clark’s remarks drew cheers.
During her speech, Warren said her first trip to college ended with her relinquishing a full scholarship, dropping out, and getting married.
“Boy, was I smart at 19,’’ she said.
Warren said she returned to school and became a teacher, a job she held until she became pregnant. Her next stop was law school, saying she was “about the size of a fully operational blimp’’ on graduation day because she was pregnant with another child.
“You may detect a pattern here,’’ she joked.
After law school, Warren said she could not find a job and returned to teaching, giving courses on bankruptcy law, contracts, and finance while acting as a consumer advocate.
She was elected to the US Senate in 2012, becoming the first woman in Massachusetts to hold the position. In Washington, Warren said she deals with naysayers by following this advice: Know who you are.
“As one of the great philosophers of our time has said, ‘Haters going to hate, hate, hate hate, hate’, ’’ said Warren, quoting Swift. “Knowing who you are helps you, ‘Shake It Off.’ ’’
Jackie Salaris, 25, who graduated with degrees in special education and sociology, said she related to Warren’s story about putting herself through college.
“I had to do this by myself, moneywise,’’ said Salaris, a Quincy resident who credited three jobs, loans, and “no sleep’’ with getting her through school.
Christopher McDonald, 24, who earned a math degree, said Warren’s advice about being open to the unexpected resonated with him.
“I’ve always tried to plan everything I do,’’ said McDonald, who lives in Canton. “She said that sometimes no amount of planning will prepare you for something that could happen. It made me relax a little bit in terms of trying to make everything go exactly according to how I think it should be.’’
At Fisher College’s graduation in Boston, an Oregon national guardsman relayed his gripping story of confronting the unexpected.
Aleksander Skarlatos, 23, made headlines last summer for helping to subdue a terrorist on a Paris-bound train.
“I am living proof that sometimes you have no choice but to step up,’’ Skarlatos told graduates Saturday at John Hancock Hall.
During his speech, Skarlatos recounted the infamous Aug. 21 incident. He was traveling through Europe with two friends when a terrorist carrying an automatic rifle and 270 rounds of ammunition stepped into their car.
“He was going to unload all of it on us that day,’’ Skarlatos said. “I knew this was my moment, our moment, to step up.’’
He said he and his friends didn’t immediately realize the magnitude of what had happened.
“It just had to be done, no question,’’ Skarlatos said. “They saw us as heroes, a term I reluctantly accept, because what’s heroic about doing what you’re supposed to do?’’
Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com.
