An 18-year-old boy named Alem Hadzic has achieved success in the United States as he graduates from high school and earned an associate’s degree simultaneously with a 4.00 grade point average.
He also emerged as his high school’s valedictorian, an achievement he dedicated to his late father whom he buried hours before his graduation.
Alem, from Texas, emerged as the best graduating student of Early College High School, the United States. He took the stage to deliver his valedictory speech at his with his arms shaking, and his shoes stained with mud according to GMA.
“My father died yesterday, May 15, 2024, and I attended his funeral today, right before graduation. That’s why my shoes are muddy and my arms are shaking. I had to carry him to his grave and bury him,” Alem said.
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“People were coming over to wish me luck and I was kind of blowing them off. In my head, I was thinking, ‘Can I do this?’” he added. Alem came from his father’s funeral, Miralem Hadzic who died of pancreatic cancer at age 52 and was buried hours before his graduation.
“I think people could tell there was something off because I was very silent. People were trying to talk to me, and I would just kind of blow them off,” he said.
He said he would not be blamed if he did not attend the graduation but he decided to go ahead with it and his speech ended up bringing tears and a standing ovation from the audience of students, families, teachers, and administrators.
Alem stated that his dad had been diagnosed with cancer which he kept from many, and that he had died but he wanted to share his dad’s story more widely in order to inspire his peers to know their way.
“When I went off script, I was just speaking from the heart. My brain was offI was really close to breaking down but when I looked in the audience and I saw people who were touched by what I was saying,” Alem said.
”I saw people who felt the same things I was feeling and suddenly, I didn’t feel so alone in that moment. That’s when I knew I could get through it,” he added. Alem said though he did not want to give the speech he felt obligated to do so because his father worked hard to help him achieve success.
“I said that I didn’t want to be up there but I 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 every single hour of every single day, and I’m going to do it for him,” Alem 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. Those are the people who want you to succeed the most,” he added.
Alem stated that he and his late father shared a very close relationship. He said they would often do things together, and in particular, they loved to watch their favorite basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks, play.
“Me and him used to always watch basketball together when I was a kid. It’s one of my favorite things to do with him. And it’s one of the last things I did with him, actually, before he died,” he said.
Alem said he will be proceeding to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in the United States and he plans to make his late father proud.
“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,” he added.
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