Sunday's graduation ceremony for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School class of 2019 featured a surprise guest.
Dwyane Wade.
The recently retired Heat guard, who has been a supportive voice and presence for the Stoneman Douglas community since the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting that killed 17 people at the school, addressed the students at the graduation.
Among the topics Wade spoke about at Sunday's ceremony was his first visit to the school just weeks after the shooting in March 2018 and the anxiety he felt before speaking to the students at that time.
"I remember walking to the school, and I remember hearing absolutely nothing," Wade said on stage at the graduation. "I remember thinking to myself, 'I've never heard this kind of silence before in my life.'
" ... What started going through my mind was how do I dare come in here and act like I know what you guys have been going through? How narcissistic of me to think I can come here and make a difference because I'm good at my sport. I remember walking slowly to the cafeteria. As I was walking in, students started seeing me, I remember seeing smiles, people running, pulling out their phones. ... I remember thinking, 'Wow.' It was packed. I didn't expect that."
Wade surprised the students of Stoneman Douglas during that initial visit to the school, meeting with students and school officials on the first full day of classes after the tragedy.
But Wade's support for the Stoneman Douglas community extends beyond Sunday's graduation and that first visit, as he's remained an advocate of improved school safety.
Wade also helped turn an empty warehouse into a tribute to honor the victims of the shooting, calling the 'Parkland 17.'
Joaquin Oliver, one of the victims, was a big fan of the former Heat star and was buried in a Wade jersey. Wade dedicated the final few months of the 2017-18 season in Joaquin's honor and invited Joaquin's mom, dad and sister to a Heat game, meeting with them following the game.
