Brother Of Murder Victim Earns Valedictorian Status At Westinghouse

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OAKLAND (KDKA) -- Jeremiah Nash, 17, is now a graduate of Pittsburgh Westinghouse in Homewood.

"I've had a wonderful experience here. I wouldn't change anything," Nash said.

Nash proudly walked out onto the floor of the Peterson Events Center in Oakland as valedictorian alongside 82 graduates and took to the stage with a powerful speech. He read part of it again after the ceremony for KDKA-TV's Amy Wadas.

Part of his speech was in memory of his brother Jeffrey Nash, who died in December at the age of 21 after being shot to death in Rankin.

"Although it kills me to say his presence is intangible, it sure is felt and left a stain on my clean white shirt forever," Nash said.

Despite the challenge of dealing with his brother's death, Nash managed to achieve a 3.7 GPA that quarter.

"Resilience and perseverance are the two main things that kept me going," Nash said.

Now Nash said he wants to live a life that lets his brother's legacy live on.

"When my brother died, I just knew he was always ambitious too, so I had to keep ambition at the forefront of my mind," Nash said.

After graduation, Nash will be heading to Morehouse College in Atlanta on academic scholarship. He was awarded the Westinghouse scholarship from Pittsburgh Public Schools.