CARROLLTON, Texas — When Early College High School valedictorian Alem Hadzic walked on stage to deliver his graduation speech Thursday, almost no one in the audience knew what he was going through.
"I didn’t know if I could give my speech," he told WFAA Monday.
"I knew I had to, but I didn’t know if I could."
In January, Alem’s father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. But Alem never shared his dad’s private battle with his classmates. Not until he delivered his valedictorian speech.
"My father died yesterday," he told the crowd in his speech. Audience members were heard gasping.
"And I attended his funeral today right before graduation."
Forty-five minutes before graduation, at only 18 years old, Alem buried his dad.
"That’s why my shoes are muddy," he told his classmates. "That’s why my arms are shaking because I had to carry him into his grave and bury him."
In his interview with WFAA Monday, Alem said, "I had to go to my dad’s funeral, I had to do it for him. But I also had to go to my graduation, and I also had to do that for him."
Alem’s dad was an immigrant. Came from Bosnia and at one point delivered Domino's pizzas, all to build a better life for his kids, so they could succeed.
"I can’t pretend to want to stand up here right now," Alem said in his speech.
"But 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."
Sharing his dad’s story on stage did something for Alem too.
"I never felt more alone that day, I never felt more alone than right before I had to give that speech," he told WFAA.
"And that all changed when I looked in the audience. I saw a room full of people people crying, I saw people being moved by what I was saying.
What Alem said and the way people reacted to it, taught this graduate two lessons: he's far from alone, and he’ll always be his dad’s kid.
"Just like he was proud of me, and he would be proud of me right now, I’m proud of him."