Elin Nordegren spoke up Sunday, but not to cameras or in an exclusive interview about her messy divorce from ex-husband Tiger Woods. She spoke to classmates about starting a new life with a college degree.
With a 3.96 GPA, raising two children and having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for less fortunate children, Rollins College outside Orlando honored Nordegren as its most outstanding graduating senior. (Via People)
That's not to say Nordegren didn't talk a little Tiger. She noted when she started night school in 2005, she was married, new to the U.S. and had no children.
ELIN NORDEGREN, TIGER WOODS' EX-WIFE: "Nine years later, I'm a proud American and I have two beautiful children ... But I'm no longer married." (Via Rollins College)
No, you're not, Ms. Nordegren. The couple famously split after Woods crashed his Escalade trying to leave their house Thanksgiving weekend 2009. (Via New York Daily News)
Revelations of more than a dozen affairs by Tiger derailed not only their marriage and the pro golfer's career, but also golf, frankly, hasn't been the same since. Not that the last part's relevant to Nordegren's life, but the scandal thrust her into the spotlight more than she'd ever planned.
She noted the divorce was "right after I had taken [a class in] communications and the media that I was unexpectedly thrust into the media limelight–and I probably should have taken more notes in that class." (Via The Washington Post)
But while most of the headlines on her speech took a dig or even a swipe at Tiger, Nordegren never actually mentioned her ex-husband by name. (Via Fox News, New York Post & USA Today)
That isn't terribly surprising since their divorce settlement was widely speculated to contain a confidentiality clause. The closest Nordegren came to a verbal jab was the "no longer married" line, and she stuck to trying to inspire otherwise.
NORDEGREN: "Your actions, my fellow graduates, inspired me to keep on going to the finish line. We walked the talk, and I can't thank you all enough." (Via WOFL)
Nordegren graduated with a degree in psychology. She said one of her most inspiring moments came when a flight attendant handed her a note. The flight attendant was also a single mom and thanked Nordegren for being an inspiration.
The Orlando Sentinel reports Nordegren said, "Since I have done little public speaking, how exactly had I inspired her? Whatever the answer, I felt a connection with her that day — mother to mother. I was inspired by her actions to make a connection with me."
