Jordan Hodge Does It All

Army cadet. Collegiate softball pitcher. Officer in training. High-achieving student. Aspiring physical therapist. Soon-to-be U.S. Army Airborne School trainee.

These are just some of the roles taken on by Grambling State University sophomore Jordan Hodge.

Hodge is a cadet in the Army Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program hosted at GSU. She’s also a pitcher for the Lady Tigers softball team.

It’s largely because of her family that she took both of these paths, and it’s her family that she said serves as the motivation for her to navigate the demands of such a busy college life.

“We didn’t grow up with money, so wanting to do better for my family, that’s definitely it,” Hodge said. “It sounds corny, but the things they’ve done to get me here, the sacrifices they’ve made — being able to focus in class and do everything I do to be able to achieve that for my family is definitely what keeps me going.”

Like many other recruits, it was seeing examples in her family of military service that inspired Hodge to pursue the same — in her case, an aunt and an uncle.

“Seeing them, seeing the benefits they get and how it’s developed them to be a better person, I kinda just knew for a long time,” Hodge said. “I got to pin my uncle at many of his ceremonies, so experience that with him was really cool as well.”

So she knew she wanted to enter military service at some point, but doing so during college wasn’t initially on Hodge’s radar, nor did she know how to go about it.

Hailing from Atlanta, Texas, she came to Grambling State on a softball scholarship. She said she chose GSU partially because it offered her the best financial aid, but also because it had the best kinesiology program among her postsecondary options.

It was during her freshman year that Major Antonio Tims, ROTC Recruiting Operations Officer, spoke to one of her classes about the program, showing her the path forward.

By the next semester, she was in. She now holds a 100% ROTC scholarship in addition to her athletic scholarship.

Tims said it was the thoughtful process Hodge underwent to investigate joining the ROTC that showed him she was a good candidate for officer training.

“It wasn’t just one conversation,” Tims said. “She heard me speak in her classroom, but then we had subsequent meetings where she would do her homework, she would come back and ask all the right questions. When she came in, she came ready to commit. That’s the type of personnel that we look to build as a foundation for leaders in the Army.”

ROTC is the Army’s biggest and best leadership school. It involves a two-year Basic Course that includes elective courses on basic military skills and the fundamentals of leadership, as well as physical training and field training exercises.

Students don’t necessarily have to commit to military service during the Basic Course, but those who enter the Advanced Course commit to becoming an Army officer upon graduation. Cadets learn advanced military tactics and gain experience in team organization, planning and decision-making.

Hodge is not yet in the Advanced Course but is committed to military service by virtue of her scholarship. Having joined a year later than most cadets as a sophomore, she said starting behind was nerve-wracking at first.

“With the help of my cadre, it’s easier every day,” she said. “They take their time with me because they know I’m also an athlete, so I miss out on a lot of classes. They take their time with me and help me to understand everything that’s going on with class, helping me catch up.”

Family also inspired Hodge’s love of and propensity for softball, as her grandfather coached her and her mother and aunts have a history with the sport.

The sophomore hurler stepped into a larger role for the Lady Tigers this year, going 55.2 innings and garnering a 5-4 record with a 5.17 ERA and 16 strikeouts.

As a pitcher, she knows about taking care of her body and what goes into getting the most out of one’s physical performance. That’s why she’s pursuing a career in physical therapy.

“It’s nice to be able to take care of people or help them recover,” she said.

Securing a job and future career opportunities was the main draw for Hodge to enroll in ROTC and pursue military service. Having grown up with less, she’s taking the necessary steps to reforge her own story.

“(ROTC) has definitely helped me ease my mind about the future,” she said. “I know that when I graduate college I’ll have a job. Most kids have to go through the resume and try to find a job. I’ll graduate with a job, make a stable paycheck with travel.”

But before she gets to graduation, the next big undertaking for Hodge will be Airborne School.

The ROTC program hosted at Grambling encompasses GSU, Louisiana Tech University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Out of 87 cadets from each of these institutions, Hodge earned one of just two spots to attend paratrooper training at the Airborne School at Fort Moore in Georgia.

Over three weeks this summer, she and other trainees will learn the basics of jumping out of planes, then they’ll practice on towers, and finally they’ll perform real jumps, both with and without combat gear.

Cadets are ranked by merit, so to earn this opportunity speaks highly to Hodge’s performance in ROTC.

“It was awesome — also kind of shocking, because there’s people who have been in the program longer than me,” she said. “It was good to know they trusted me to go down there and perform for Grambling ROTC.”

Luckily, she’s looking forward to the activity that others may find daunting. “I’m not afraid of heights,” she said with a laugh.

All in all, Hodge said she’d recommend any prospective college student to consider ROTC.

Though for some a desire for military service may come from nothing more than a pure love for country, in today’s world there are many other viable reasons to join up as well.

“It’s an experience not everybody gets,” Hodge said. “In today’s time, I feel like military is the best way to go. Companies don’t take chances on just college graduates most of the time — they want resumes. And the Army will take the time with you and work with you regardless of what your resume says.”