Charlotte Commencement Speaker Abby Grace Bare’s Message Is: Persevere, Believe, And Live In The Moment
Abby Grace Bare is the commencement speaker for the ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 9, for the Belk College of Business, Cato College of Education and the Klein College of Science. The reigning Golden Niner, Bare is earning a bachelor of arts in elementary education and will serve as an educator in Guilford County after graduating.
It took Bare just three years to complete her degree but in that time she racked up academic accomplishments including the Teaching Fellows Program, Mebane Scholars Program, Education Honors Program and was placed on the Chancellor’s List every semester. Reflecting on who she was before coming to Charlotte, Bare said she was confident to a fault and took perceived shortcomings personally. But facing adversity throughout her college career changed her mindset.
“I’ve learned to never stop learning, we are works in progress until the day we stop breathing,” Bare said. “Needing improvement doesn’t mean you are wrong, it just means it’s one step closer to becoming better.”
It has been a whirlwind final year at Charlotte for Bare. She was named Golden Niner during Niner Nation Week, she is planning her wedding for the summer and she was named a commencement speaker, all while finishing her degree and teaching elementary school.
Bare learned that she would be a commencement speaker while she was teaching fourth-graders at Huntersville Elementary — which made the honor even more memorable.
“My students roared and gave me a big round of applause — they were so excited,” Bare said.
Her graduation speech revolves around three themes that have defined her college experience: never stop learning, don’t stop believing and live in the moment. Her advice to Niner Nation is the same advice she is giving herself as she closes this chapter of her life: take it all in.
“Enjoy these moments at Charlotte; soak them up,” Bare said. “While there are so many exciting things that are about to happen for me over the next three months, I want to live in every moment of every day.”