Hundreds of Southlake Carroll seniors were able to find a seat, while remaining six feet apart, and take part in their high school graduation. And while four fellow classmates were not able to physically join their classmates, they were still recognized thanks to one local mom.
Lori Cerami knew how important it was for families who have lost children to see their efforts recognized on a graduation stage. So starting in October 2017, she put in the work to ensure all high school parents could obtain a posthumous diploma. Because she knew Elise’s legacy deserved more than an empty chair at the ceremony.
“An empty chair just reminds me how empty I am; it just makes me feel more empty,” Lori says. “My child is supposed to be in that spot.”
Before venturing down to Austin and asking for an amendment to House Bill 638, only family members of seniors who had passed were warranted a diploma. After Gov. Greg Abbott signed the change into law last May, Lori could rest assured that her daughter Elise, and all other high school students, would be recognized at their respective graduation ceremonies.
Not only did the Ceramis receive Elise’s diploma but also they could fill that designated chair with a photo of their daughter. The chair also housed Elise’s cap, gown and tassel, all symbols of her place alongside her classmates.
The Cerami family was not the only family affected by this change. Four posthumous diplomas were awarded this year. The other three honored Yolanda Cardenas, Sarah Lacy and Graham Brady. Now, Lori hopes other families, not only in Texas but across the country, can pick up the torch to ensure they feel their children are seen during their high school graduations.
“I want to do good things in her name,” Lori says. “Avoidance is not resilience. Child death is an uncomfortable conversation, but I think people get better at [empathy, understanding and relating to people who are going through difficult things] when we have conversations with people about it.”
As the Texas law currently stands, it’s the family’s responsibility to request a posthumous diploma from its school district. Lori believes other families in other states could introduce similar bills to their local governments.
“I originally thought her legacy was going to be in pool code — that she was going to have some law enacted in making a change in water safety,” Lori says. “To see something that is even bigger than that...because this is helping families all over Texas for years to come and could have a precedent set in other states. That’s a pretty cool legacy to have.”