Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres shared her wisdom during her 2009 Tulane commencement speech, when she said, "Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else's path unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that." This advice was not only meant for the audience at the ceremony but for everyone. Ellen DeGeneres wanted everyone to hear what she had to say, so she did it the way she knew best, by adding some comedy. Even though she may have been making a joke, it will be a quote the students of Tulane will remember because her advice is telling everyone to be their own person and follow their dreams. Ellen DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana on January 26, 1958. When she was a child, Ellen DeGeneres dreamed of being a veterinarian. Soon she realized that she wanted to be a comedian when she started doing stand up comedy during a public speaking event (Bio.com). After that she began to perform at coffee shops and was soon traveling the country doing shows. (Jessie Powell). After being seen at a show, she was picked up by the "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and was the first female comedian to ever be on the show. (Jon Hopwood). As bio.com said "her wit won over audiences", and she was soon starting her own TV show "Ellen". After the show ended in 1998, Ellen DeGeneres did a little bit more acting before she began her daytime talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2003. Her show is now in its tenth season. In 2008 Ellen DeGeneres also got married to Portia De Rossi, and the two have been married since. Ellen DeGeneres is a role model for everyone. She is always caring for others and she inspires many people to help others and believe in themselves. Ellen DeGeneres may have been called the "The funniest person in America", but it is her caring heart and humanitarian efforts that make her a hero (Jon Hopwood). Ellen DeGeneres is worthy of the title "hero" because she shows generosity, bravery, and compassion all while having a great sense of humor.

Ellen DeGeneres is a hero because she has shown generosity throughout her career by demonstrating her humanitarian efforts and supporting numerous causes. Ellen DeGeneres supports a variety of charities and helps out in the community as much as she can. "DeGeneres showed her support for her hometown of New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Her efforts have resulted in "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" raising over 10 million dollars to improve the lives of New Orleans residents" (Ellentv.com). Ellen DeGeneres has helped many people through her charities and through her show. She is always trying to inspire people to help out with many of her causes. Ellen DeGeneres is always raising awareness and donating money to help people in need. Not only does Ellen DeGeneres support the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, but she also works with other charities to help many causes. "Overall, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' has raised over 50 million dollars and brought attention to various causes, including global warming and breast cancer awareness." (Ellentv.com) Ellen DeGeneres also raises awareness for AIDS and recently has worked with the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. Ellen DeGeneres tries to help people as much as she can and is always trying to make a difference in our world.

Ellen DeGeneres has shown bravery by standing up for herself and being true to who she is. Ellen DeGeneres has portrayed bravery in many ways. She has always been herself even when people were against her. "Stay true to yourself. Have your own opinion. Don't worry about what people say about you or think about you. Let the naysayers nay. They will eventually grow tired of naying." (Ellen DeGeneres). Ellen DeGeneres has always stood up for herself and has never let other people tear her down. She is a role model and shows people that it is okay to be who you are even in our society. She has shown bravery by putting herself out there and showing others her true self. Ellen DeGeneres has also expressed that she believes everyone is beautiful no matter what other people say. "Beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about knowing and accepting who you are" (Seriously...I'm Kidding). She is brave enough to stand up for herself and others to let everyone know they are perfect the way they are. Because of this Ellen DeGeneres is also a spokeswoman for Covergirl (Ellentv.com). She supports Covergirl because she believes that they want to make people feel beautiful as well. She has demonstrated that everyone is beautiful in there own way and everyone should believe in themselves. Ellen DeGeneres also showed bravery when she took the risk of becoming an actress. In 1994, Ellen DeGeneres began her own sitcom, "Ellen". During her show, Ellen demonstrated immense bravery by coming out about on national television. And when she got married to Portia De Rossi she showed that everyone should be able to marry who they love. Ellen DeGeneres knew that by doing coming out about her sexuality there would be consequences, but she thought that she could inspire others by doing it. "If a show is successful then you're reaching millions of people, but you're also standing there naked saying 'What do you think of me?' and there are mean people who just want to tear you apart. That kind of frightens me...I try not to, but I worry about everything." (Ellen DeGeneres). Ellen DeGeneres knew that becoming an actress and exposing her life to the public meant that not everyone was going to like her. Ellen DeGeneres did it because like she said, she was "reaching millions". She wanted to bring joy to people and make them laugh, even though not everyone supported her. But even when there were people saying negative things, Ellen DeGeneres didn't let it stop her from doing what she loved. She kept moving forward and showed everyone that she could be successful. Ellen DeGeneres showed true bravery to everyone by being herself and not letting any of the haters stop her from reaching her goals. Ellen DeGeneres is successful today because she has never been anyone but herself and she has reached many people because of this.

Ellen DeGeneres is representative of a hero in many ways, but her compassion is what makes her stand out. Ellen DeGeneres used to dream of being a veterinarian as a child, and while she did not follow that dream, her passion for animals still shows in her work today. "DeGeneres continues to share her love of animals and has brought attention to The Gentle Barn, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates animals" (About Ellen DeGeneres). While Ellen DeGeneres supports many causes, her passion for animal rights makes The Gentle Barn one of her favorite organizations. The Gentle barn rescues animals and helps them recover. Ellen DeGeneres supports them because she believes in helping animals. She loves animals and has many pets of her own. Ellen DeGeneres is a big supporter of animal rights and does not agree with testing products on animals. She once wrote, "If you want to test cosmetics, why do it on some poor animal who hasn't done anything? They should use prisoners who have been convicted of murder or rape instead. So, rather than seeing if perfume irritates a bunny rabbit's eyes, they should throw it in Charles Manson's eyes and ask him if it hurts." (My Point...And I Do Have One). Ellen DeGeneres also tries to raise awareness about bullying through her show. "This past year, DeGeneres brought awareness to the anti-bullying issue by creating a PSA titled "Be Kind." (Ellentv.com) She believes that bullying has gotten out of hand and is resulting in more and more teen suicides. Ellen DeGeneres is raising awareness so that bullying will be stopped and more lives will be saved. Ellen DeGeneres also likes to help people through her show. She brings people to her show and helps them when they need it. Ellen DeGeneres helps by paying hospital bills, giving away cars, or giving cash. She likes to help people who can't do it by themselves. "For me, it's that I contributed,... That I'm on this planet doing some good and making people happy. That's to me the most important thing, that my hour of television is positive and upbeat and an antidote for all the negative stuff going on in life." (Ellen DeGeneres). Ellen DeGeneres also loves making people laugh. She has always been a comedian and her charismatic personality and sense of humor have made her a success. As she said in her quote, she wants her show to be positive and she wants people to enjoy watching her. Ellen's compassion for animals, and people alike give her a heroic title. She truly cares about others and does what she can to help everyone.

Ellen DeGeneres is hero because she stands up for herself and cares for everyone. Her big personality and even bigger heart have made her a success and a hero. She teaches everyone that they can be themselves and be proud of who they are. She also shows people how to make a difference and give back as much as they can. Ellen DeGeneres is always trying to help people and inspire them to be better people. She shows true compassion towards others and tries to help others to do the same. At the end of her show she often says, "Be kind to one another", and follows this as much as she can. Through her brave acts and generous ways she has reached many people. She always stands up for herself and what she believes in and tries to get others to follow in her footsteps, and to believe in themselves. As she said in her 2009 commencement speech, "My idea of success is different today. For me, the most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and not to give into peer pressure, to try to be something that you're not. To live your life as an honest and compassionate person. To contribute in some way." Ellen DeGeneres is a hero to me because she has made an impact on society. She has taught people to look at themselves, and everyone else differently. She has set an example for everyone to be happy with themselves and try to help others feel the same. Ellen DeGeneres' compassion for people, and her constant attempts to help change the world, make her a true hero.