“I’ve always been a rule follower. When they said not to chew gum, I didn’t chew gum. When they said not to use your cellphone, I didn’t use my cellphone. But today, in the spirit of defying expectations, and for perhaps the last time at this podium, I say..."
Early College High School valedictorian Alem Hadzic has gone viral after he took the stage at his graduation ceremony to deliver his speech—just hours after his father's funeral.
"People might say ridiculous things like, 'it's all part of God's plan.' Or perhaps, 'God works in mysterious ways'... That wouldn't help the raw grief."
“If you could have a million dollars now, or an extra year of quality life—like, if God were to take the number of years He’s prepared for you and add a bonus one—which option would you choose? How would you spend a million dollars worth a year of life, or a year of life worth a million dollars?”
"I just cried ‘God?!’ Tears poured down my face. ‘Just take my whole life. I can’t handle any of it anymore. If you are who you say you are, now is the time."
"The smell of stale cigarette smoke mixed with urine and body odor permeated from his dirty, wrinkled clothing. He’d been known to pass out at the hospital room bedside, after vomiting all over the floor."
"I don't want anyone to ever tell me there's not a God. There is a God, and he works in the most amazing way, and he's touched me today out of the blue. And I'm not even a real religious person."
