US high school valedictorian delivers moving speech hours after burying father

A high school valedictorian in Texas, United States (US), delivered a moving speech at hisgraduation,hours after he buried his father, American media reported on Saturday (May 25).On May 16, 18-year-old Alem Hadzic, who graduated from theEarly College High School, began his graduation speech with "Good Morning America" while his armsshook andhis shoes werestainedwith mud.

Earlier in the day,Hadzic attended the funeral of his fatherMiralemHadzicwhodied on May 15 following a monthslong battle withpancreatic cancer, a report by ABC7 said. Hadzic said he helped bury his father and then drove with his younger sister to his graduation ceremony.

'A rough, rough day'

"I was just shaking before my speech because I knew what Iwas going tosay. I didn't know how I was going to say it.And itreally was a rough,rough day," he told ABC7."I thinkpeople could tell there was something off because I was very silent.People were trying to talk to me, and I would justkind ofblow them off," he added.

Hadzic revealed in his speech that his father had cancer, a fact that the 18-year-old kept from many, and that his father had died. But he wantedto share his dad's story more widely to inspire his peers.

#historia 💔👏🏽 El mejor estudiante de un instituto de Texas pronunció un emocionante discurso dedicado a su padre pocas horas después de asistir a su funeral.
Alem Hadzic, de 18 años, se graduó en el Early College High School el 16 de mayo.
A su padre, Miralem Hadzic, le ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Ndmb1dsosQ — 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗢 𝘈 𝘝𝘖𝘊𝘌𝘚 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔 (@ruidiaz_ddhh) May 26, 2024

"I said that I didn't want to be up therebutI couldn't throw something away that he worked so hard for me to achieve. And that's why I'm going to college, and I'm going to work everysinglehour of every single day, and I'm going to do it for him," Hadzic said.

"I wanted to encourage everyone to do what I was doing, even if they didn't lose anyone. Just do it, like succeed for your loved ones. Thoseare the people whowant you to succeed the most,"he added.

Hadzic receives standing ovation for speech

Hadzic's speech made the audience emotionalandthe 18-year-old got a standing ovation.Hadzic said thatwhen he went off-script,he wasjustspeaking from his heart.

The 18-year-old also pointed out that he shared a very close relationship with hisfather,and that his father was a self-sacrificing person.

The ABC7 report saidthatHadzic graduated with a 4.0 GPA, earningbotha high school diploma and an associate of science degree from Early College.He plans to major in chemical engineeringat the University of Texas, Austin.

(With inputs from agencies)