‘American Idol’ Winner Iam Tongi Graduates High School
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
American Idol Season 21 winner Iam Tongi recently graduated high school in Washington and delivered a heartfelt performance at the ceremony. Tongi was previously an honorary graduate at a high school in his hometown in Hawaii.
American Idol Winner Iam Tongi Graduates High School
Earlier this week, Tongi graduated from Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington. During the graduation ceremony, Tongi grabbed his guitar and performed “Don’t Let Go” by Spawnbreezie for his fellow graduates.
“When I won American Idol, I sang this song as my last song and I want to sing it for you guys, cause we’re all winners today,” Tongi told the crowd after thanking the school’s teachers and staff for their support.
This is the second graduation ceremony Tongi has taken part in this year. After being named a finalist for Season 21, Tongi visited his hometown of Kahuku in Hawaii. During his visit, he was given an honorary degree from Kahuku High School.
SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ WINNER IAM TONGI RESPONDS TO RIGGING ACCUSATIONS
Tongi Released Original Song ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’
As part of his time on American Idol, Tongi recorded an original song called “I’ll Be Seeing You,” which he performed on the Season 21 finale. The emotional song was written by former Idol contestant Francisco Martin.
“The meaning of this song to me is when you lose someone you love, everything that you should do with them reminds you of them,” Tongi said of the track. “My dad had kidney failure and he used to go to dialysis, and every single time we pass a dialysis place, ‘Oh look, it’s dad.'”
Tongi opened up about losing his father during his journey on American Idol. He also expressed a deep connection to his home state of Hawaii. His family had to move to Washington a few years ago because they were “priced out of paradise.”
