Reese Witherspoon urged students to "be curious" as she returned to her old school on Thursday (12.11.15).
The 'Wild' star visited Harpeth Hall School, a private girls' school in Nashville, where she accepted the 2016 Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont Distinguished Alumna Award.
Speaking to students, she said: "The best advice I can give to anyone about the future is be curious. If you're curious, you'll never be bored. The world will open up to you over and over.
"By the time I was a sophomore at Stanford, I knew more about storytelling than anything medical, and I realised it was okay to not do what my family did. I could do something completely different.
"But I had to be brave. I had to push myself to feel comfortable living in California where I knew no one. It's important to be brave even when you are a high school student."
The 39-year-old actress - who graduated from the school in 1994 - also took to Instagram to share her excitement at the honour.
She wrote: "Great day yesterday! Took a stroll down memory lane at @harpeth_hall, my old high school in #Nashville, and spoke to the amazing student body about how lucky we are to be educated, free women in this world. #GoHoneyBears #WhoRunTheWorld #FBF (sic)"
