Edsel Ford High grad denied walk at graduation gets full ride to Lawrence Tech
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - One week after being denied the opportunity to walk at graduation, an Edsel Ford High School student's dreams of becoming an engineer are about to take off.
"Never imagined something like this would happen, and they are very amazing for giving me that opportunity," Hatem Gelan says.
Walking across the stage at high school graduation is an opportunity that only comes once, and for Gelan, he was forced to miss it.
"Instead of walking across the stage with pride, I was at home wearing the cap and gown that never saw a light of day. Why? All because I missed a rehearsal," Gelan said to the school board at a June 19 meeting.
The truth is, he was working at Sheeba in East Dearborn the night before his big day.
But the consequences of oversleeping and missing rehearsal has, to Gelan's surprise, paid off in ways he could have never imagined.
"I was hopefully getting an opportunity to attend Lawrence Tech for a potential scholarship. You know, it's totally a new chapter in my life. I didn't expect to get to that. And when I heard the news that I got accepted, I was out of this world. Just incredibly happy," Gelan says.
After hearing about his story, Fordson High School PTA President Faye Nemer says she began a crowdfunding campaign to raise tuition money for Gelan's college aspirations of becoming an engineer.
"I was considering Lawrence Tech University as a potential pathway for him just considering his passion for engineering. Lawrence Tech is a niche university for engineers," Nemer says.
And she thought who better to call to help get Gelan than Ramadan Suhoor Festival founder Hassan Chami.
"We had a partnership with them through the Ramadan Suhoor Festival, so I just reached out. It took me just one phone call, and I told them the story. I sent them the messages, and the rest is history," Chami says.
History that Gelan says he will forever be grateful for.
"To see my community all come to support me, amazing about what has happened to me lately. It's been amazing. It's been totally a turnaround of my life," Gelan.