Texas Senior’s Emotional Valedictorian Speech After Attending Father’s Funeral Day of Graduation

High school graduation is definitely a milestone in life. Unfortunately, the passing of a parent is also one of life's milestones.

Tragically, a recent 2024 high school graduate experienced the death of his father within days of his high school graduation.

In fact, he attended his father's funeral the same day of his high school graduation.

Incredibly, the young man somehow found the courage to give his Valedictorian speech to his fellow graduates, and it's probably one of most moving things you'll ever see.

Valedictorian Attends Graduation After Father's Funeral

High school valedictorian Alem Hadzic shocked everyone in attendance at north Texas high school Early College High School's graduation ceremony when he announced that earlier in the day, he and his family laid his father to rest.

Up until his graduation speech, none of his fellow graduates or faculty at Early College High School even knew his father was sick.

Hadzic said in his speech he hadn't disclosed to anyone his father was battling cancer because he didn't want to be treated differently by anyone during his final semester of high school.

The speech begins with him shockingly telling those in attendance that "I can't stand up here and pretend I want to be doing this speech right now".

Hadzic then proceeds to explain that the shoes he was wearing were muddy and his arms were still shaky "because I had to carry him into his grave and bury him."

He goes on to say -

"I can’t throw something away he worked so hard for me to achieve.

That's why I am going to go to college and I am going to spend every hour of every day working as hard as I can to achieve all my goals. Because that's what he wanted and I'm going to do it for him.

I want all of you to look to your loved ones and say you will do the same."

He tells FOX 4's Good Day he began writing his valedictorian speech the day his father passed away and didn't realize at the time the funeral and graduation ceremonies would be on the same day.

From FOX 4's Good Day -

"I got on stage, I started reading the script and when I got to the part about my dad, I couldn't just read off a script anymore. I had to talk about my experience, and I had to talk from the heart."

And, talk from the heart he did.

By the time he was finished, the entire room was in tears and he received a well deserved standing ovation.