WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) “It’s been wonderful.”

That’s how Sha Reh said he will remember his experience when he looks back at his high school years, which are filled with memories of friends and family that, he admits, make him a bit emotional at times.

On Wednesday, May 28, Reh will walk across the stage and officially graduate from Granger High School with a 3.9 GPA. For many in the community, Reh has become an inspiration, as just a few months earlier, he was found alive in the garage of a West Valley home with a gunshot wound to his head. His family was found dead just inside.

Reh was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. While he has lost his vision, Reh has made a miraculous recovery and is ready to take his next steps in life. He said it was all thanks to his friends and the community around him, for which he said he felt blessed and grateful.

“My friends, they have been with me for so long. In a way, saying they’re friends isn’t really doing them justice. They are more like family to me now,” Reh said. “I love them with all my heart, and they’ve been with me through this.”

After high school, he originally planned to attend the University of Utah and study family law or political science. He also intended to go to Japan and serve on his mission. Even with those plans changing, Reh said he’s still excited for his next path in life.

Now, he plans to attend the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind, where he hopes to practice living without vision. Though it won’t be all business. Reh also plans to learn to play guitar and travel to Thailand and Australia, where his family his from.

But Reh isn’t looking too far into the future. He told ABC4 his current focus is to just live in the moment, and to make his family proud.

“Time is like a leaf in the wind. It’s unpredictable, unforeseen, and fleeting,” Reh said. “You have to make the best of it. You have to learn to manage time well.”