Bob CollinsHigh school commencement speeches can be forgettable things. Not so this year in Plano, Texas, where Sef Scott did the honors.
He acknowledged that his giving the speech was unexpected because he has autism.
His mom says the other kids at the school probably didn’t know her son since he was mostly in special needs classes.
But she tells the Washington Post that when the school requested students to audition to give a commencement speech, he was all for it.
“He’s not a demonstrative individual at all, and to have him shaking with excitement, with a huge smile, making eye contact, looking at me straight in the eye and firmly saying yes, it was great,” she said.
When Sef started elementary school, his parents worried he’d be a target for bullying. Instead, they saw his classmates holding his hand and leading him to where he needed to go. They decided that they could never move away from the place where other kids knew him and cared for him.
But to get onto the graduation-day podium, Sef had to audition the speech before a panel of judges who did not know him. His mother and brother did not tell anyone else about the plan, and even after he was selected, his father and other relatives had no idea it was coming.
Judging by the video, it takes a lot to get the people of Plano, Texas to stand up.
