By Suzy Alstrin
“You are capable,” strikes a chord of inspiration in the upcoming commencement speech by Zaine Hedge (RU-2011), who hopes his words will be special and meaningful to everyone who hears them. “I will talk about what you will achieve when you trust your abilities, training, knowledge, and the wisdom you’ve acquired. It’s also important to understand that being capable is an objective thing.”
Hedge reflects, “It’s a huge honor” to be asked to deliver the keynote address and explained, “Because it was Reinhardt, I couldn’t say no under any circumstances. Every time I get a chance to visit, I have fond memories and nostalgia always hits me. Reinhardt is extraordinarily special to me.” When most current graduates were freshmen four years ago, Hedge also delivered their induction speech.
Hedge works as an attorney and law partner in Douglasville, Georgia, and is running for Douglas County Superior Court Judge. His noteworthy volunteer commitments include serving as a youth mentor, motivational speaker to high school students, and church youth leader.
While attending Reinhardt, Hedge led as student body president, earned honor society inductions, enjoyed participation in the travel abroad program, performed in the wind ensemble and barbershop quartet, played intramural sports and video games, and received a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature with a Spanish minor.
Hedge recalls, “Reinhardt was incredibly important for my formation as I learned responsibility and made the transition into adulthood. The quintessential representation of Reinhardt is the kind of relationships I was able to foster, not only with other students but with faculty and staff. It was a particularly important lesson for me, to know to learn when you’re around sincere, genuine, and authentic people, meaningful and powerful relationships can come from anywhere, whether it’s somebody that you met at a video game tournament, or whether it’s a professor, who absolutely refuses to let you be mediocre because she knows you can be something better.”
