Kelly Hodo

Tell us why you became a teacher

I didn't always know that I would grow up to be a teacher, but I have always known that I wanted to impact people's lives in a positive way. Throughout school, English became my passion. Language fascinated me. Literature and poetry captivated me and transported me to other worlds. Creative writing allowed me to express myself authentically. Over time, I realized that I could fulfill my desire to make a difference while surrounding myself with the written word through teaching.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Last year, I taught seniors for the first time in AP Lit. It was a bright group of kids, and I felt that I had prepared them well for the AP exam, but I was still nervous about the outcome. When the day came for scores to be released, I received an email from a student with a lot of happy emojis and exclamation marks saying he'd received a 5, the highest possible score. He told me it was because he had a great teacher who really cared and thanked me for all I'd done. I'd made a difference.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I have three boys who may go to college one day, so the $25,000 would be going straight into savings, but not before I treated myself to a massage!