“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.
"We had people at our wedding talking about what a waste of money it was to even make the trip and attend. I shed way too many tears caring about what they thought."
"Well-meaning onlookers worried we’d given up any chance of financial security or a complete education. They wondered if our immaturity doomed the marriage to failure. Our motives, timing, and common sense were questioned as our baby-faced selves stood up at the altar."
