UC alumnus extends online tutoring program for Cincinnati youth during COVID-19 crisis
Local Cincinnati After-School program offers tutoring opportunity for inner-city youth
Once he was expelled during his freshman year of high school, now Hodge-Edu, LLC founder Larry Hodge is providing free tutoring services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Larry Hodge tutoring math to middle school students.
An alumnus of The University of Cincinnati is giving back to his Cincinnati community by offering tutoring sessions to students in the subject areas of math and science.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hodge knew hardships would be inevitable. Currently, with more than one million unemployed workers in Ohio, Hodge knew families were going to face tough choices on how to provide for their families. In an attempt to lessen local family’s economic hardships, Hodge dropped the fee for his tutoring services.
I didn’t want education to be another barrier that parents had to figure out.”
Larry Hodge 09 CECH Alumni
Hodge, who graduated from Hughes High School in Cincinnati and later enrolled in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), half-heartedly pursued a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with science as his discipline. Although he initially wanted to major in pharmacy, Hodge received the African Americans Initiative in Math and Science (AIMS) Scholarship, and settled on education.
Hodge's studies and experiences brought him in contact with many under-represented students in Cincinnati. As a teacher, he tutored students for the Ohio Graduate Test. Later, he worked as a staff member at U.C. where he served as an academic specialist through a grant-funded program called “GEAR UP.” And, he also worked as a math teacher at Hamilton County Mathematics and Science Academy, a charter school in Cincinnati, where he taught math to 4th and 5th grade students.
Those experiences ultimately led Hodge to create an educational service that has proven to be essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Larry Hodge teaches 4th and 5th- grade students math through his tutoring company, Hodge- Edu, LLC.
Working with close friend and fellow UC alumnus, Keith Futel, Hodge offered one-on-one tutoring and expanded into ACT prep. He offered his services through local private and public educational institutions, which further established his business.
Hodge began to invest in technology and educational applications that not only allow him to be more effective, but also help him to further his understanding of how educators use the programs to teach their students.
Many of Hodge’s students are middle and high school students. However, he is currently working with different age groups as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. His relationship with his students doesn’t end with their last tutoring session. Even after his students graduate from the program, he keeps in contact with them to witness their accomplishments.
My actual reward is when they come back and say, 'Mr. Hodge! I got into the school I wanted to get into!' That is the reward I can take home
Larry Hodge 09 CECH Alumni
Larry Hodge teams up with other local educators to speak a senior showcase (far left).
Although Hodge is passionate about improving education in the Cincinnati area, like any educator, his job can get cumbersome. He often shares that his students are truly what keeps him going within this profession.
Reminding himself of his life mission and mentoring, Hodge says he continues to stay motivated to do his work, despite any obstacles he may face.
Through Hodge’s determination of overcoming his academic struggles, diligently pursuing a degree subject he originally had no interest, his passion of wanting to work with “troubled kids,” pushing them beyond their limit, and the generous contribution he made available to families amid the COVID-19 crisis, he wakes up every morning and thinks of how he can change lives each day.
While families are still being asked to “shelter-in-place”, Hodge’s unwavering outlook on educating his kids is to “use education to empower their dreams.”
During his time at UC, Hodge was an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. Fraternity the Alpha Alpha Chapter, Phi Rho Chi Fraternity, Men of Metro, Sigma Sigma, and Collegiate 100 Black Men Honorary. Hodge was the first African American tapped into Phi Rho Chi, an all-men’s fraternity, that aims to honor the excellence of men across the university.
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