A school security officer for a private school in Dallas had an emotional farewell at his retirement ceremony April 11.
Kifleab Tekle, who’d worked for Hockaday School for 30 years, was given more than $185,000 in donations from alumni at his ceremony, according to odditycentral.com.
The money was donated by nearly 2,000 current and former students after a GoFundMe page was started with an initial goal of $2,000.
“I was not expecting such a big farewell,” Tekle said in a statement. “It means stability for my family.”
The money is a sign of the appreciation students felt for Tekle’s service at the elite all-girls school, which has many prestigious alumni. The school has 118 faculty members and 1,087 students currently enrolled.
Students shared memories of their time with Tekle and stories of his amazing devotion to the student body. With a caring heart and the uncanny ability to remember each student’s name, it was clear Tekle had left lasting impressions on the students who walked Hockaday’s halls.
Students from as far back as 2000 attended the ceremony.
Tekle, who moved to the U.S. from Ethiopia in 1986, said he considered the security officer position his first real job.
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