Senior year of high school is a pivotal time for many teenagers. They are finishing up a special chapter of their lives as they look forward to the future. For most, this is a time to celebrate and enjoy the last few months of being a kid. Although many may think they know their classmates and what is happening in their lives, sometimes classmates keep secrets. Those secrets are a very important part of their life stories.
When high school senior Alem Hadzic walked up to the microphone to give his valedictorian speech to the class of 2024 at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District's Early College High School in Texas, he stunned the crowd. It turns out that Alem maintained the top grades in his class while fighting a personal battle at home. Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, Alem had buried his father just hours before the ceremony, losing him after a months-long private battle with cancer.
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The speech shocked the room.
In a video shared on the Carrollton City Limits and Surrounding Cities Facebook page, Alem welcomes attendees to the ceremony and explains that his father was diagnosed with cancer months earlier. He did not share that news with his classmates at the time because he didn't want to spend his last high school days with people treating him differently.
Alem then announced that his father had died the day before, on May 15. The room was quiet except for gasps from the crowd, which was shocked to learn the news.
Alem attended commencement right after his father's funeral.
The valedictorian told his story to WFAA. His father had immigrated to the United States from Bosnia and worked as a pizza delivery driver to help build a better life for his children.
Alem said that even though attending the ceremony was difficult, he knew he had to do it.
He told his classmates that he'd buried his father that morning. "That's why my shoes are muddy," he explained during his speech. "That's why my arms are shaking because I had to carry him into his grave and bury him."
He explained that he wanted to honor his father.
Although it was difficult for Alem to stand up in front of his school family, he knew that it was what his father would have wanted.
"I can't throw away something he worked so hard for me to achieve. And that's why I'm going to go to college and I'm going to spend every hour of every day working to achieve my goals because that's what he wanted and I'm going to do it for him," he said during his speech.
Everything changed that day for Alem.
Alem told WFAA that May 16 was a difficult day. Just as he was feeling totally alone, giving his speech and seeing the reaction of the crowd made a significant impact on him.
"And that all changed when I looked in the audience. I saw a room full of [people] crying; I saw people being moved by what I was saying," he said. "Just like he was proud of me, and he would be proud of me right now, I'm proud of him," he told WFAA.
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His speech touched the community.
The school district shared Alem's story in a news release on its website. "In the fall, Hadzic will embark on his journey at the University of Texas at Austin to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is incredibly proud of Alem and all of our graduates who will cross the stage this month," the release reads.
Comments on the district's Facebook page praised the teen.
A former teacher wrote, "Congratulations to all the graduates, but especially Alem Hadzic! I can't imagine giving a speech the day after my dad had passed away. I am so sorry for your loss. Congratulations on being valedictorian! I am a retired teacher from CFBISD."
And many sent love, like this commenter. "It definitely was a moving speech so proud of you Alem," one comment reads.
