by Asher Hirt ’25
October 31, 2023
Many people know Andrew Hedman as their statistics or algebra teacher or climbing coach. However, Mr. Hedman has a multifaceted life full of eclectic passions and hobbies. A former tattoo artist, Hedman has also dabbled in multiple forms of martial arts.
Hedman was born and raised in Southwest Florida. In a town called Fort Myers, he was educated through public schools.
By the time he left for college, Hedman seriously started questioning his values and thought about what and who he wanted to become. He decided to go to Flagler College in St. Augustine, a small private liberal arts school. Despite the educational and career opportunity that presented itself at Flagler, Mr. Hedman was dissatisfied there.
“I didn’t really do well there. [When] I went, I was going through some personal things at the time. And I wasn’t really focused on academics,” Hedman said.
After his freshman year at college, he dropped out. This gave him the time to start an apprenticeship for tattooing, but it also led to a lot of conversation amongst his family. His family didn’t envision tattoo art as a successful career, so they pressured him into continuing his education. His parents also believed that drugs and alcohol were frequently used at tattoo shops at the time.
“At a lot of tattoo shops, their employees get into drugs and alcohol, but at the shop that I was working with, that was never an issue. And the guy that I worked for wouldn’t tolerate any of that from other artists,” Hedman said.
Hedman returned to taking classes part-time at community college while he was finishing his apprenticeship at the tattoo shop. During this time, he developed an interest in astronomy and physics, which would eventually inform his decision to major in math; however, this was not an easy decision to make.
“I was ready to transfer to a university [at] about the same time that I was finishing my apprenticeship. I was really in a place where I needed to decide what my life was going to be like; if I was going to continue tattooing, or if I was going pursue more education,” Hedman said.
Hedman ultimately decided to enroll at Florida Gulf Coast University, studying math and graduating in 2013. Immediately after he graduated, he began teaching.
“My first teaching job was part time at a private school [similar to] USN: a nice school in Naples, Florida. Then that next year, I got my first full time teaching job at another school. That one was more culturally…conservative. Kids had to wear collared shirts. I had to wear a tie every day,” Hedman said.
Hedman remained there for three years. During this time, he got married and had his first child. Shortly after this, Hedman and his wife—whom he met while studying at FGCU—decided that they wanted to move out of Florida. Hedman interviewed at USN in February of 2018 and quickly accepted the position when he was offered the job. Despite having offers from other schools, Hedman waited for an offer from USN.
“I knew that Nashville and USN would be kind of a really refreshing place for me to be physically,” Hedman said.
While Hedman settled in at USN, he decided to expand and develop his interests further.
“I started doing Aikido. I got interested in Kung Fu and samurai movies and stuff. And when I was a kid, I always wanted to do martial arts, but for some reason my parents never really liked the Eastern philosophy kind of aspect of martial arts…so I never really got a chance to as a kid,” Hedman said.
When places started reopening after COVID, Hedman began learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In Jiu Jitsu, the belt system has white, blue, purple, brown, and black belts. Most people have their white belt for a couple of years, and it takes consistent effort to go from one color to the next. Recently, Hedman reached a milestone in his jiu jitsu journey: he earned his blue belt.
While Hedman will continue to expand his skills in Jiu Jitsu, he is more focused on other aspects of his life.
“Right now really, it’s managing my time between teaching and being a dad. I’ve got three kids and I try to spend as much time [with them] as I can,” Hedman said.
He spends a lot of time with Ezra (7) and Ruby (5), who both attend USN, as well as his younger son James (3).
“On the weekends, we spend time playing in creeks and hiking and taking the dog out to parks and just exploring different playgrounds around town. Canoeing, climbing—we go around nature a lot,” Hedman said.
Hedman will continue to enjoy time spent with his loved ones while dedicating his time to his other passions.
