When Derek Hedbany, WG’26, looked out at the Class of 2026 on graduation day, he didn’t just see accomplished executives. He saw people who, like him, were once pushed to the edge of their comfort zones — and chose to grow.
Selected as the graduation speaker for all three cohorts (Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Global) in the MBA Program for Executives (EMBA), Hedbany’s journey is as unconventional as it is inspiring. A senior content producer at Google with a background in film, television, and live events, he didn’t come to Wharton with a traditional business pedigree. Instead, he arrived with a creative mindset and a desire to learn and be challenged.
“With a B.F.A. in drama, I knew I’d be stretching into new areas and I’ll admit it was intimidating at first,” he says. “But that challenge is part of what made the experience so rewarding.”
That sense of being pushed beyond his comfort zone became clear early on. During the first midterm Microeconomics exam, Hedbany recalls sitting in a silent exam hall and realizing he wasn’t alone in the uncertainty. No matter their title or background, no one felt fully confident.
“Wharton broke us that day,” he joked in his graduation speech. “And it was the best thing that could have happened. Because once the cracks appeared, the light could get in.”
A Creative Career Meets Business Rigor
Before Wharton, Hedbany built a career in media and entertainment, working with major brands like Nickelodeon, Vice Media, and MTV, where he contributed to live productions including the MTV Video Music Awards and the relaunch of “TRL.” He later transitioned to Google’s global events and experiences team, bringing creative storytelling into a corporate environment.
But that transition also exposed gaps.
“I wanted to show up better in rooms with executives,” Hedbany explains. “I knew how to tell stories, but I wanted to be able to speak with authority from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives.”
That desire ultimately led him to Wharton’s EMBA program, drawn by its rigor, reputation, and the caliber of students.
“I saw it as the ultimate stress test,” he says. “If I could succeed here, I could succeed anywhere.”
Learning Through Difference
While the academics were demanding, Hedbany says one of the most transformative aspects of the program came from the people around him, especially his Learning Team.
“That’s your home base,” he says. “It’s where you stretch your skills, test ideas, and share vulnerability.”
Hedbany’s team brought together professionals from vastly different industries, including finance, healthcare, startups, and marketing. Over time, those differences became a strength.
“At Wharton, a surgeon could admit they were bad at Excel. A founder could admit they were burned out,” he says. “You realize vulnerability isn’t the opposite of leadership; it’s the foundation of it.”
That same theme of learning through diverse perspectives extended far beyond the classroom. Through Global Business Week in Barcelona and Madrid, a Global Modular Course in South Korea, and a Leadership Venture in Antarctica, Hedbany experienced firsthand how different lenses shape understanding.
“We could all be looking at the same situation, but seeing completely different things,” he says. “That’s where the real learning happens.”
Trial by Ice
One of the most defining experiences of Hedbany’s time at Wharton was the Antarctica Leadership Venture, where EMBA and full-time MBA students worked together in an extreme environment designed to test resilience and leadership.
“It wasn’t just an adventure. It was a laboratory for leadership,” he says. “You’re completely outside your comfort zone, and that’s the point.”
The experience reinforced lessons from the classroom while building new ones in real time. “I still think about the frameworks we learned and how we applied them out there,” he says. “It was ‘trial by ice’ instead of ‘trial by fire’ in the most meaningful way.”
The Power of Support
In his graduation speech, Hedbany highlighted not only his classmates but also what he calls the “shadow cohort,” which includes partners, families, and friends who support EMBA students behind the scenes.
“These people made the investment,” he says. “They lived with the late nights, the stress, the distractions. Our diplomas may have our names on them, but so much of the equity belongs to them.”
It’s a message of gratitude that resonates deeply across the EMBA experience, where balancing professional, academic, and personal commitments is part of the challenge.
“Smuggling the Flame”
At the heart of Hedbany’s speech was a simple but powerful idea: The Wharton experience doesn’t end at graduation. He called it “smuggling the flame.”
“We spent two years building something special: this way of thinking, this openness, this willingness to learn from each other,” he says. “The challenge now is to continue giving that back to the world.”
For Hedbany, that means fostering environments where diverse perspectives are valued, where teams feel safe to say, “I don’t know,” and where leadership is grounded in both competence and humanity.
“If at the end of this degree you just become a more efficient machine, then this was all for nothing,” he says. “The real value is in how you lead differently.”
A Message for Future Students
For prospective applicants, Hedbany’s journey offers a clear takeaway: You don’t need a traditional background to succeed at Wharton. You need curiosity, humility, and courage to stretch yourself.
“If you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone, this program can be completely transformative,” he says.
By Meghan Laska
Posted: May 18, 2026
