Heart-wrenching moment Texas high school valedictorian gives inspirational speech just hours after father's funeral

A Texas high school valedictorian delivered an emotional graduation speech just hours after his father's funeral, breaking the news of his passing to the audience.

Early College High School graduate Alem Hadzic, 18, gave his commencement address on May 16 at the Dallas College – Brookhaven campus.

The teen's father, Miralem Hadzic, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five months earlier. 

Alem had only told a few of his friends about his father's battle, and shocked the audience when he revealed Miralem had died the day before graduation.

'My father died yesterday, May 15, 2024, and I attended his funeral today right before graduation,' Alem said.

Early College High School valedictorian Alem Hadzic (pictured), 18, revealed his father, Miralem Hadzic, had died the day before graduation in his emotional commencement speech

The teens father, Miralem Hadzic (left), had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five months earlier

'That's why my shoes are muddy, that's why my arms are shaking because I had to carry him into his grave and bury him.'

'I can't stand up here and pretend I want to be doing this speech right now. But I can't throw something away he worked so hard for me to achieve,' he said.

Miralem immigrated to the United States from Bosnia, and at one point, delivered Domino's pizzas to help build a better life for his children, reported WFAA.

'That's why I am going to go to college and 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,' Alem said in his speech.

Alem said he attended his father's funeral the same day as graduation and felt compelled to deliver his address in honor of his dad

The audience let out gasps and stifled sobs as Alem encouraged his classmates to cherish their loved ones.

'Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is incredibly proud of Alem and all of our graduates who will cross the stage this month,' said the school district. 

Alem is set to attend the University of Texas at Austin and study chemical engineering.

'I was scared because I really didn't know. I went to my dad's funeral right before. I couldn't just talk about what I wrote because so much more had happened since then,' he told Fox 4.

Miralem (pictured) immigrated to the United States from Bosnia and at one point delivered Domino's pizzas to help build a better life for his children

'And so, I got on stage. I started reading the script and when I got to the part about my dad, I couldn't just read off a script anymore. I had to talk about my experience, and I had to talk from the heart.'  

The 18-year-old said he has received an outpouring of support since giving the speech.

'I got up there. I said my speech. I looked in the audience and I didn't expect to see so many people crying,' Alem said.

'I didn't know any of them but they came up to me. They made me feel better. They wanted to take pictures with me.'

'They told me how strong I was and it made me feel so much better. It made me feel so good on such a dark day. It was really what I needed,' he said.