You can read Rep. Nancy Mace's remarks from The Citadel Commencement Speech she gave today.
"Thank you …
Distinguished guests, friends of The Citadel, esteemed Board of Visitors, the President of The Citadel, the Commandant of Cadets and members of the class of 2024:
Twenty-five years ago, I had the honor of sitting in one of those chairs, about to become the first woman to graduate from The Citadel Corps of Cadets. I was pale. I was nauseous. And I couldn’t comprehend how I made it down the road less traveled.
Today you sit with your powerful rings, about to grip your hard-earned diplomas, as you think about all you have endured to bring you to this moment today.
That uncertain fall four years ago, you could have chosen to stay home in the middle of COVID-19, with mom and dad, where it was safe. You could have chosen to go someplace else, where it was easy. You made a difficult choice, during exceptionally difficult times.
You may have regretted that decision knob year, but you now know, it was the best decision of your life.
Today you will think of all of your teachers, coaches, superiors, peers, even a few irritants, now all friends for life.
There are people in this room who at one time you wished had never been born, who have turned out to become people you could never live without.
Because even though it probably didn’t feel like it at times, you know today, you were all in this together. And for those who wear the ring, you will be in this together for a lifetime. Your journey doesn’t end, but in fact, it is only beginning.
And then of course your parents and family. They are the ones who know exactly where you are sitting right now, getting their phones ready to capture the moment when their sons, and yes, daughters, walk across this stage for one brief shining moment as you join the long gray line forever.
In my family if you were scared of my Dad’s bark, you knew not to mess with my Mom’s bite.
Prior to arriving on campus on August 24, 1996, I was raped at the age of 16 and dropped out of high school at 17, I didn’t believe I had a future. But one day in the summer of 1996, all of that changed. The Citadel offered me something no one else could when it opened its doors to women.
It offered me a place to face an obstacle unlike any other, to face a challenge I had never seen before, where I could learn not just to survive, but I could learn to thrive. The Citadel, by the grace of God, saved my life.
With age, comes wisdom, as they say. I know today what I couldn’t comprehend then. We make it here because of our courage. We make it here because of our discipline. And we make it here because of our strength.
And if you can make it here, ladies and gentlemen, you can make it anywhere.
At the age of 17, I quickly learned that dropping out of high school might not have been the best decision. My parents’ immediate reaction was to say, Nancy, if you’re going to stop going to school, you need to start going to work.
So I did - at a fine-dining establishment off the Interstate some of you may be familiar with, also known as the Waffle House.
Let’s just say It didn’t take me long to realize that while Waffle House may have been an important part of my journey, it would not be my destination.
After finishing high school and getting my academic house back in order, my road less traveled led me to the place where we gather today. I went from “Good Food Fast” to Duty, Honor and Respect.
Now, I know for all of us, the path to duty, honor, and respect is not always smooth sailing around here. Just ask some of the sailing team who had the creative idea to hone their craft during last fall's hurricane with a couple of sailboats and a kayak. I am sure it was a blast until they had to be fished out of the water by a man in his own boat, who happened to be Col. Gordon, the Commandant of Cadets. I think the hurricane boaters may have just finished their last tours just in time to join us today.
When my father, Gen. James Emory Mace, the most decorated living graduate of The Citadel, when he dropped me off at Padgett Thomas Barracks on that first fateful day, his final words to me were this: Nancy don’t call home if you want to quit, just put on your shoes and start walking. I was here to prove to myself, I wouldn’t quit.
You all have endured; because all of you wear the ring.
On the ring you wear proudly, you have the oak leaves – because it’s the symbol of strength….and it’s a symbol of endurance.
Because without endurance, none of you would be crossing this stage today.
I want to take a brief moment to talk to the female cadets graduating today, because one day, 25 years ago, I made history as one.
When you cross this stage, it might feel like a quick walk. But it’s not. It’s a long path that took over 150 years to forge…
You’ll be following in the footsteps of thousands of men and 800 women who came before you.
Women like Amanda Orson Class of 2003 who was the first Woman Battalion Commander and has gone on to Harvard and Wharton, she is now Founder and CEO of a company using AI to power real estate.
‘The Magnificent Seven.’ Our First African American female graduates,and the Class of 2002 have become leaders in industry, leaders in medicine, and leaders in the military.
Sarah Zorn Class of 2019 the First female Regimental Commander. Now an Army Artillery officer and accomplished black belt. She was also selected by Annie Leibovitz to headline a series of photos featuring influential young women pioneers.
As women, we hear a great deal about glass ceilings. But glass is meant to be broken. So shatter it to pieces. Its reality is only as strong as the power we grant it.
Let your legacy inspire the women coming after you.
As the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” So when you get to where you’re going, turn around and help the next woman behind you find her way.
But whether male or female, remember this: all who enter those iron gates on a hot Saturday in August embark on the “road less traveled.” It’s a road I am proud every single one of you chose to take.
COURAGE, DISCIPLINE & STRENGTH
Courage, discipline and strength. I am sure you have observed these values are in short supply everywhere you look today.
We have seen when a lack of these values leads to chaos and lawlessness both at home and abroad.
What we are witnessing around college campuses, at our borders, and in wars around the world is proof that without discipline there is no strength, and that an idle command to stop, without fear of consequences, will be ignored, and even mocked.
What is happening across this country in our so-called elite universities is not just
unacceptable. It is un-American. It is difficult to imagine that in America today, there are
college students being instructed to leave campus for safety reasons simply
because of their religion.
I would love to see how long one of these self-appointed student leaders at our so-called elite universities would last during hell week. I think they could all use a dose of Citadel discipline.
Whether you end up as the president of a company, president of a university, or President of the United States, strength is an indispensable ingredient of a respected leader. From her very founding, America has always been the envy of the world because of her strength.
Over the last few years we have seen wars break out in Europe and, more recently, in the Middle East. While I actively participate in the ongoing debates around America’s role in these wars and around the world, I keep coming back to the undeniable facts that have been proven throughout history: strength preserves peace and weakness invites war.
Your job now is to accomplish the goals you’ve set for yourselves. You have tools and
knowledge that generations before us could only have dreamed of.
Teddy Roosevelt referred once to "The Man in the Arena." His words apply just as readily to the men and women in this arena today. You now experience "the triumph of high achievement" and your place will "never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Today, America needs leaders who possess unbeatable and unparalleled strength.
All over America in the next few weeks, colleges and universities will be holding commencements where the graduates will all be told they are the future of our country.
While they are all technically our future, only a select group of graduates will be our future leaders. And I am proud to be in the presence of 490 future leaders today. America's true future leaders aren't setting up encampments on college campuses. America's future leaders are about to walk across the stage in McAlister Field House at a school where we don't burn American flags…We salute them.
You are graduating at a time when America needs the courage, when America needs the discipline and and when America needs the strength that flows through the veins of every single Citadel graduate.
While many of you will be joining the noblest of callings in our armed services, others will enter private enterprise, while some may even join me in public service.
No matter your career, your Citadel experience and your principles will always light your
way. For me, I’ve had fun shaking things up in Washington by introducing them to a
new concept we all know by heart: A Member of Congress will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.
No matter where you set your sights when you leave here today, your loftiest dreams
have been made more achievable by the discipline instilled in each of you from the moment you arrived on this campus.
Mother Teresa once said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
It is what has allowed me to go from the kitchen at the Waffle House to the historic Chamber of the U.S. House.
It is what will separate you when you face the inevitable challenges life throws at all of us.
You will think of the time when you fell flat on your face and you didn’t think you had any pushups left in you, yet you finished recognition day.
When your once nemesis and tomorrow’s friend for life screamed “Get up knob! You can do this.”
And you did it.
When life comes at you fast, you can look down at your ring and remember, it represents your courage, it represents your discipline, and it represents your strength in every challenge you endure, and there will be many in the years to come.
I speak from experience when I tell you, your sacrifice here was great. But your reward after will be greater.
Congratulations and God Bless the ladies and gentlemen of The Citadel graduating class of 2024."
