The truth will always find you.

That’s the message Temple alumna Tamron Hall delivered to graduates at the School of Media and Communication’s winter graduation ceremony this morning.

Hall, co-host of NBC’s Today show and anchor of MSNBC’s NewsNation, returned to Main Campus to address a packed house of graduates, faculty and family members in the Temple Performing Arts Center.

In a sincere and affecting address, Hall―who told the crowd, “I don’t write speeches because I have to speak from the heart”―advised graduates on the importance of pursuing the truth in their careers as journalists and communication professionals.

They should look at both sides of an issue, Hall said, but ask themselves, “What is the truth of what we’re discussing?”

The graduation ceremony was for Class of 2014 SMC graduates who completed their degrees in August or December. Recipients of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees were recognized.

Hall, who was the ceremony’s keynote speaker, said she learned about a journalist’s dogged pursuit of truth as a student at Temple.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, she embarked on a career that has brought her fame and prestige. Hall’s work has included coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, the inauguration of President Barack Obama and the death of Osama bin Laden.

But Hall, who was a 2010 recipient of SMC’s Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Award, has never forgotten her ties to North Philadelphia.

“This city gave me my soul,” she said. “It gave me my confidence.”

Hall encouraged graduates to “keep it North Philly, keep it Temple” as they start the next chapter of their lives.

“I wish that every time you look in the mirror … you see the cherry and white of this great university.”