Teen moves from grief to hope, walks with honors
Monday, May 28, 2001
by Khalil Abdullah Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Smothered by grief, his life in a tailspin, Josh Vaughn wanted to escape his circumstances. He even contemplated suicide. During his sophomore year, Vaughn's mother died of lung cancer. He barely knew his father, who bounces in and out of his life. His grades plummeted. He found himself with no home, depending on friends for food and shelter. He turned to alcohol to ease his pain.
But with the help of friends, his Christian faith and the feeling that his mother was watching over him, he turned his life around.
On Sunday, he graduated in the top 10 percent of his Haltom High School class, an academic honors cord draped over his shoulders. In his triumph, Vaughn recalled a time when he felt like giving up.
"I really didn't care any more," he said. "There were times I felt like not even being here. Life seemed to have thrown too much my way."
Through it all, he excelled at football, fulfilling his goal to become a team captain. His mother would have wanted that, Vaughn said.
"I may not be the smartest, but I worked really hard and never gave up. There was something to prove," Vaughn said.
Vaughn, 18, was among 535 Haltom High seniors who were handed diplomas during an exuberant ceremony at Fort Worth Convention Center. As usual, there were air horns, tears, bubbles, bearhugs, camera flashes, standing ovations, sappy songs and inspiring speeches. Seniors whooped and hollered. Teachers tried to keep some decorum. Student speakers cracked jokes and implored classmates to change the world, be true to themselves and remember their pasts. Contrary to popular belief, seniors who filled the convention center floor are the true graduation class of the new millennium, valedictorian Brian Lacy said. Cherish the memories and "Go with all your heart," he said, using the words of Confucius. After performances by the band and choir, salutatorian Michelle DeGarmo said graduates are accepting a mission by taking their diplomas. "The future is ours for the taking," she said. "It is ours �with the hope and anticipation of greater things to come." As the ceremony ended, Vaughn, who will attend Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, was overwhelmed by emotion. He had beaten the odds. He had made his mother proud.
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