Watch Aimee Copeland's inspiring GGC commencement address

Aimee Copeland, a Gwinnett native who underwent amputations after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria in 2012, delivered the commencement address at Georgia Gwinnett College on Thursday. (YouTube screengrab)

Aimee Copeland, a Gwinnett native who underwent amputations after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria in 2012, delivered the commencement address at Georgia Gwinnett College on Thursday. (YouTube screengrab)

Aimee Copeland, the Brookwood High School grad and flesh-eating bacteria survivor, delivered Thursday's commencement address at Georgia Gwinnett College.

Her message was, predictably, inspirational in nature.

"When you help others, you realize that a lot of our issues in life are really petty, and not that important after all," she said. "You realize that no matter who you are, there's always further down. If you're alive right now -- it could be worse."

Copeland was attending the University of West Georgia when, on May 1, 2012, she fell from a zipline running over the Little Tallapoosa River. Her left leg was gashed and left susceptible to necrotizing fasciitis, which threatened her life and led to amputations of both hands, her left leg and her right foot.

Since then, she's completed her Master's degree in humanistic psychology and is pursuing another in social work. She's also become an advocate for people with disabilities, and recently posted on Facebook that she's writing a memoir -- the proceeds of which "will go toward my dream of creating a nonprofit community growth center for people of all ages and abilities."

Watch her full commencement address below: