LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Las Vegas high schooler channeled his grief to graduate as valedictorian from Western High School after the loss of both his mother and grandmother.
As Noah Mitchell crossed the graduation stage to accept his diploma and deliver his valedictorian speech, there was one chair in the crowd left empty: a memorial for the two people who weren’t able to attend, his mother and grandmother.
“It totally felt like they were there, sitting with us,” Noah’s dad, Marcus Mitchell said.
Marcus explained, Noah lost his mother at only one-years-old from stomach cancer.
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“These two pictures are of his first birthday and these are the only photos Noah has of his mother,” Marcus said.
After the loss of his mother, Noah’s grandmother stepped up as a mother figure. All three lived under the same roof.
“My grandmother, she was everything to me,” Noah said.
Noah said his grandmother wasn’t only a mother figure, she pushed him academically, emphasizing the importance of furthering his education and teaching him study habits he still uses to this day.
“She would have me creating these to-do lists, I remember. And then I actually started using the notes app,” Noah remembered.
The two were unstoppable, until the first week of Noah’s Sophomore year in high school when she passed away. Noah, losing another mother figure at only 15-years-old.
“Losing her was beyond heartbreaking,” he said. “It’s like a big hole in your heart, like a missing piece.”
He said focusing on school work became challenging, but he felt his grandmother’s spirit pushing him to continue.
He decided to translate his grief into motivation.
“I felt a very strong sense of comfort and love,” Noah said. “I know she would have wanted me to keep going. Do my best, make her proud, and I know I did.”
As Noah crossed the graduation stage as valedictorian, with a 4.95 GPA, he knew his grandmother and mother were looking down on him overcome with pride.
Noah is headed to UNLV this fall. He’ll be majoring in computer science, with a goal of getting his masters and becoming a software engineer.
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