"Without Reinhardt, I would not have met her."
and off the field—it was through Reinhardt baseball that he met the most important person in his life, his fiancée, Shelby, who played softball at RU.
“Without Reinhardt, I would not have met her, we wouldn’t have dated, and we now wouldn’t be getting married, so I am extreme-ly thankful for the existence of the school!” Smith said about one impact Reinhardt had on his future.
Before he left the halls of RU in 2014 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, Smith had plans to continue on with school. Unfor-tunately, life happened, and he had to put any further education on pause as he learned to balance life outside of school.
“Life outside of RU is busy. Work, a family
to balance, three animals, a wedding to plan—it is all a bit hectic, but it is fun. Sometimes, it’s a bit too much, but that’s just life. I can’t say I don’t miss [RU]—life was easier, [more]balanced, scheduled out—but it’s fun now to look back on memories or people I played with. I enjoy seeing how successful friends have been or are becoming,” he reminisces.
Still, in the midst of the busy-ness, Smith credits Reinhardt with having prepared him for the diversity that comes with trying to hustle through life in the real world. Having been here to watch the atmosphere at
Reinhardt change with the creation of the football team, Smith says, “I have never had any issues with or judged someone based on their culture, but coming from a school that puts an emphasis on exposing students to different cultures is a major advantage in the workforce.”
Chunk and Shelby got engaged in Nashville, Tennessee, on the Shelby Street Bridge.
Chunk proposing to his
fiancée whom he met at Reinhardt.
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