By: Ethan Steinquest April 23, 2026
Junior enterprise administration main Cody Hegler, a live performance photographer and Army
veteran. | Photo by Sean McCully
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – When Cody Hegler first began working as a photographer for
The All State, Austin Peay State University’s scholar newspaper, he was his personal fiercest critic
– selecting aside the small print of each shot and discovering causes to do away with them.
However, after studying new abilities on the job, he grew to become a regionally award-winning
photographer by putting fifth within the Best Photographer class on the 2026 Southeast Journalism Conference. Hegler was initially chosen as one in every of 95 scholar finalists throughout all awards, and
he represented The All State together with his rating at SEJC.
“It was positively a confidence booster, and it’s been slowly setting in over time
that I used to be in a position to compete with photographers from Division I colleges,” mentioned Hegler,
a junior enterprise administration main and Army veteran. “That makes me wish to focus
extra on presenting my craft so I can place higher subsequent 12 months, and even develop into a finalist.”
The Gov launches glow-in-the-dark paint into the group throughout Austin Peay State University’s
fifth annual Glowchella, hosted on Aug. 22, 2025, on the intramural discipline. | Contributed
photograph by Cody Hegler, The All State
Hegler started his journey in early 2022, reducing his tooth on live performance images as a result of
of his ardour for the music trade. He hopes to make use of his diploma to ascertain a music
venue, construct a touring community, and create behind-the-scenes content material to advertise rising
native artists.
“I began going to Austin Peay as a reenlistment incentive, however between the Army
and college, I simply couldn’t sustain with it,” he mentioned, noting that he briefly labored
for The All State throughout that point. “At the tip of my first semester, I felt it was
greatest that I simply didn’t come again. I needed to take a break as a result of I used to be getting out
of the Army, and I didn’t know what my life was going to seem like.”
After serving for 10 years as a mechanic, Hegler was medically separated from the
Army in 2023 and determined to return again to Austin Peay that fall.
“There had been occasions, particularly to start with once I first got here again to The All State
[in Spring 2024], that I needed to do one thing that will power me to select my digicam
up,” he mentioned. “At the time, I didn’t notice I used to be depressed, and I used to be going by way of
an entire separation from the Army that caught as much as me.”
Hegler was additionally managing the accountability of being a long-distance guardian to his
daughter in Kansas, having moved away from his household resulting from army commitments.
“Living away from my child is tough since you all the time wish to be there, they usually’re
solely a child one time,” he mentioned. “But being at Austin Peay has helped me work out
issues we are able to do collectively … one semester I used to be in Chemistry for Everyone, and we did plenty of very simple experiments I noticed she would love. So once I had
her that 12 months for Christmas, we did elephant toothpaste and this, that, and the opposite.
We acquired to go stargazing one summer time after my astronomy class as a result of I discovered a bit
about that, and I’ve even proven her find out how to use a digicam so she will see what I do.”
Making connections with different scholar veterans and staffers at The All State helped
Hegler discover additional stability, and earlier than lengthy, he started to see indicators of progress.
“My turnaround time has improved a lot,” he mentioned. “I feel lots of people who’re
new at images go on the market and snap, snap, snap photographs. That’s basically what
I used to be doing – I might simply hit a burst and discover one of the best one. The All State helped
me get higher at being decisive when taking photographs and determining higher shot compositions,
and that impacts how rapidly I can get them to purchasers.”
Attendees benefit from the second annual Peayple’s Concert hosted at F&M Bank Arena on Sept.
26, 2025, that includes performances from Waka Flocka Flame and Boosie Badazz. | Contributed
photograph by Cody Hegler, The All State
Hegler’s story assignments have additionally helped him develop his abilities as a videographer,
from taking pictures footage throughout Austin Peay’s GO Weekend to filming from the again of a go-kart throughout an occasion at The City Forum.
“Another factor I’ve actually loved about being a part of The All State is that it’s
allowed me to increase my portfolio outdoors of simply taking pictures concert events,” he mentioned. “To
be trustworthy, I don’t know that I might have branched far outdoors of that in any other case …
once I began, I simply checked out it as a passion, and being right here helped me notice the
worth in having a talent in images.”
The administration abilities Hegler is studying by way of the College of Business and the help providers provided by the Military and Veterans Affairs Division have additional enriched his campus expertise, and as he prepares to graduate subsequent
12 months, he feels extra ready than ever for his subsequent chapter.
“Austin Peay has positively helped me step out of approaching issues in life as Army
issues,” he mentioned. “To take into consideration the place I’m now and the abilities that I’ve gained,
it’s fairly cool. I’ve plenty of mates who will say, ‘Oh, you’re doing an excessive amount of
for faculty,’ however I do know I’m not. I’ve paid my life to be right here, and I’m going to make
positive to get each profit I can from it.”