Mostly non-verbal Plano student wows crowd with graduation speech

A North Texas student’s six-minute speech at his high school graduation was just as the title described – unexpected. That’s because it was the first time many of classmates had ever really heard him speak.

The Plano Senior High School senior explained that he is autistic.

“My name is Sef Scott and I am a student with learning differences. To be more specific, I have autism and a social communication disorder,” he said. “While I have the vocabulary that you do and I have the ability to produce spoken words, it is not a normal thing for me to electively speak.”

Sef said he got help from his brother, Sim, who survived a brain tumor and now regularly gives speeches for charity. He practiced with his brother and his mother for weeks.

“We worked sentenced by sentence to make my voice heard,” he said. “Knowing that I want to be heard, I imagine that is unexpected.”

“Yes, I have autism but I am also a smart aleck. Unexpected, right?” Sef joked, prompting a round of cheers and applause.

Sef challenged his classmates to do the unexpected as they move forward in life. He encouraged them to brighten another person’s day with a simple gesture like letting them go first in line or saying “thank you” to the special needs individual bagging groceries.

“You can sprinkle unexpected moments throughout your everyday life that can benefit those around you with very little effort on your part,” he said.

He also told them not to be afraid to take the unexpected path in life.

“Be the unexpected like me. Do the unexpected for the benefit of others. Live the unexpected for your own happiness,” he said.

The Plano Independent School District said Sef’s incredible speech was the most applauded speech of the day. It has been shared thousands of times since the school district posted it on social media Wednesday.

Many reacted by calling it an amazing act of unexpected bravery.