A native of Durham, NC, but born in Lexington, KY, Rachel Hodges comes to ACA from Southside Middle School in Florence where she has served as an English Language Arts instructor for three years.
“We are very excited to have Rachel Hodges as an English teacher at Atlantic Collegiate Academy,” Principal Mike Lorenz said. “She will insure all of our students will develop a love of learning."
A graduate of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Hodges majored in English with a concentration on Professional Writing. She also minored in Journalism at UNCW.
While still an undergrad, she began working as a volunteer with the Girl Scouts of North Carolina Coastal Pines as an Assistant Camp Director. In that role she oversaw a staff of 30 adults and as many as 120 campers while also interacting with parents and other volunteers. She was charged with creating original programming while also building open communication channels to assist with quick problem solving.
She has worked with the Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina in the same capacity since 2018.
Following the completion of her degree, Hodges followed her parents, who are both nurses, into the medical field, working as a medical surgical technician for four years, assisting with orthopedic and neurosurgical patients with pre and post-surgical procedures. Despite professional success, Hodges felt a calling to do something else.
“I wanted a change from the medical field and felt pulled towards working with children in an education setting,” Hodges said. “I enjoy teaching new concepts and seeing the light bulb moment when a student finally understands material they have been struggling with.
“I find it most rewarding when students see their full potential and apply it through their academics. I also enjoy having students approach me to tell me they appreciate that I didn’t give upon them and helped them push through until they got to the point that they believed in themselves.”
Hodges was an athlete at Cresset Christian Academy, playing varsity soccer and participating on the varsity cheer squad. She also competed outside of high school in both ultimate frisbee and ice hockey while also developing a passion for running. She has run in several half-marathons and has also competed in triathlons.
In addition to a passion for writing, she is working on a children’s book that she hopes to have published later this year, she is also a photographer who ran her own photography business in college. She has also gained intermediate level skills in American Sign Language.
Rachel is married to Danielle Sykes, a Menifee, Calif., native, and the couple has two children. Their daughter, Cassie, is a senior at Coastal Carolina University majoring in Criminology and their son, Danny, is a high school junior who plays both baseball and soccer at the varsity level. The family also has a German Shepard named Kyro and a cat named Whiskers.
