Name: 'Glass is meant to be broken': Mace returns to The Citadel 25 years after making history
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'Glass is meant to be broken': Mace returns to The Citadel 25 years after making history

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Rep. Nancy Mace delivered the 2024 commencement address at The Citadel on Saturday, highlighting how far women have come while inspiring graduates to break barriers in their own lives. The speech marked exactly 25 years since she became the first woman to graduate from The Citadel manga cum laude with a degree in business. "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," Mace said. "As women, we hear a great deal about glass ceilings. But glass is meant to be broken. So, shatter it to pieces."Mace continued, "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." READ MORE: "Rep. Nancy Mace to deliver 2024 commencement address at the Citadel."Mace graduated in 1999. The Citadel's Corps of Cadets has increased the number of women to around 13 percent in the 25 years since Mace first walked across the stage. To Mace, a member of the House of Representatives running for a third term as the representative for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, the military school defines strength, which she encouraged graduates to lean into as they move forward."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," Mace said. "From her very founding, America has always been the envy of the world because of her strength." READ MORE: "State Sen. Larry Grooms endorses Rep. Nancy Mace's reelection bid to U.S. House."Mace also addressed the widespread campus protests that have gripped the United States. The anti-war protests ceased this week at several universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters. Deals included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel or hear calls to stop doing business with the longtime U.S. ally, according to The Associated Press. Still,  2,400-plus arrests have happened on 46 campuses nationwide since April 17. It was this backdrop that Mace highlighted the necessity for graduates to have strength as they move into professional life. "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," Mace said. "We have seen when a lack of these values leads to chaos and lawlessness at home and abroad."READ MORE: "'Look at my record': Rep. Mace makes her pitch to 1st District voters in reelection bid."The anti-war movement began on April 17 at Columbia. Student protesters built an encampment to call for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.However, Mace's main point of address remained the necessity for graduates to exemplify strength, which she said preserves long-standing tranquility. "Over the last few years, we have seen wars break out in Europe and the Middle East," Mace said. "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."Mace is running for reelection in the South Carolina 1st Congressional District.  Catherine Templeton and Bill Young are challenging her seat in the Republican primary, which will held on June 11.

Rep. Nancy Mace delivered the 2024 commencement address at The Citadel on Saturday, highlighting how far women have come while inspiring graduates to break barriers in their own lives. The speech marked exactly 25 years since she became the first woman to graduate from The Citadel manga cum laude with a degree in business. "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," Mace said. "As women, we hear a great deal about glass ceilings. But glass is meant to be broken. So, shatter it to pieces."Mace continued,...

'Glass is meant to be broken': Mace returns to The Citadel 25 years after making history

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