Kansas valedictorian goes off script at graduation. His family says school wants medal back

Bishop Carroll Catholic High School is asking a student to return his valedictorian medal in exchange for his diploma and transcripts after deviating from a previously approved graduation speech, according to the student’s mother.

The student, Austin Tran, went off script during his valedictorian speech over the weekend, saying the version the school approved didn’t feel genuine.

“He wanted a personal and authentic speech that’s not AI generated nor compressed into a few minutes,” his mother, Ann Nguyen Tran, wrote in a Facebook post. “He stayed up all night, as he confessed in the speech, to write one that went a little over time so that his sincere message to his classmates can be delivered in the manner and tone that he wanted, rather than what was dictated.”

The Catholic Diocese of Wichita declined to comment on the issue.

Ann Nguyen Tran said the school’s decision to withhold his diploma and transcript until the medal is returned was made without conferring with the family, who left on an out-of-country trip shortly after the graduation ceremony. She added that the school said it was also revoking his distinction as valedictorian, including on his transcripts.

They plan to meet with school representatives when they’re back in town to return the medal.

“We hope that they will rescind their decision,” she said. “And provide a consequence that is less severe.”

An outpouring of support for Austin Tran and his speech circulated on social media after the decision to revoke his medal was made public. Some former students even left their valedictorian medals on one of the school’s signs, according to a photo obtained by The Eagle.

A Change.org petition garnered thousands of signatures asking for the school to rescind its decision. The petition has since been closed.

“This punishment seems unjust, especially when his words resonated so powerfully with so many people present,” the petition read.

A transcript of Austin Tran’s speech shows that he specifically “shouted out” several students and his parents, which the pre-approved speech did not have.

He also left in a joke about a bishop falling asleep during the speech – which the school administration had edited out previously, according to his mom.

Before Austin Tran made the speech, administrators were made aware that he would stray from the previously approved speech, the mom’s Facebook post says, and they threatened to pull him from the stage if he did.

According to a post from his mom, Austin Tran told a school administrator “It will only reflect badly on you,” if he was pulled from the stage during the ceremony.

“While we understand how this can be perceived as disrespectful, he said it was not meant to be combative, but just his honest feeling,” the post reads. “However, the admins deemed this to be disrespectful to the [Bishop Carroll] community, along with not following the guidelines.”

Now, Ann Nguyen Tran is worried her son’s scholarship to study neuroscience and biochemistry at Notre Dame may be rescinded because of the incident. But she said the family is thankful for the support they’ve received.

“There are so many posts out there that speaks volumes. The support is overwhelming and we’re thankful for that,” she told The Eagle.

This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 6:13 PM.