"I'm very glad to be able to spread his legacy. He would have been so proud."This valedictorian helped bury his late dad and then gave an unforgettable graduation speech: "I can't stand up here and pretend I want to be doing the speech right now. But I can't throw something away that he worked so hard for me to achieve."
The Early College High School graduate said he helped bury his dad and then drove with his younger sister to his graduation. "When I went off script, I was just speaking from the heart. My brain was off," Hadzic recalled. "I 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, 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.
"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," the high school graduate added. "I'm very glad to be able to spread his legacy. He would have been so proud of me. I already know it. That's what people are telling me," Hadzic said. "It feels good doing what I know he would have wanted me to do."