Elin Nordegren, the ex-wife of golfer Tiger Woods, received her bachelor’s degree in psychology last weekend from Rollins College.

Elin Nordegren Is College Grad

Nordegren, 34, graduated with a 3.96 GPA and received the honor of the Hamilton Holt Outstanding Senior Award and served as the graduation’s commencement speaker, reported People. The speaking job came as a surprise to Nordegren, who admitted during her speech, “I have been called a 'woman with no words' in the media and criticized for not talking very much."

Surprisingly, Nordegren didn’t shy away from addressing the personal drama about which the media has wanted her to open up, calling the time she struggled to deal with Woods' myriad affairs “the wild storm of my personal life.” She further stated that it was her pursuit of higher education that helped get her though it.

"Education has been the only consistent part of my life the last nine years. And it has offered me comfort. Education is one thing that no one can take away from you."

Nordegran first enrolled at Rollins in 2005. At the time, she was married to Woods but had yet to have children. In the years that followed, she gave birth to Sam, 6, and Charlie, 5, which slowed down her education. In 2010, she took a hiatus from Rollins to deal with the spectacle that had become her marriage to the top pro golfer.

"When you told me stories about your full-time day jobs, about coming home to cook dinner for your families, and about making sure your children were cared for while you were attending classes, you inspired me," Nordegran said. "Whatever obstacle I was facing at the time, your stories and sharing helped me put things in perspective."