UofL student named National Peer Tutor of the Year

The University of Louisville has produced another national champion. Brent Rummage, an instructor and master tutor with REACH, has been named the 2018 Peer Tutor of the Year by the Association for the Tutoring Profession. Just one tutor is recognized for this national honor each year.

The award comes despite Rummage being limited to a 20-hour work week due to being a full-time student.

Rummage has been with REACH as a math tutor since August 2016. He has achieved the status of Master Tutor, which is a level III certification through the College Reading and Learning Association. In order to teach GEN 103/104, Rummage accepted a UTA position with REACH – the first of its kind. Typically, only GSAs and program coordinators teach the course.

The move helped him on both a personal and a professional level.

“Working as a math tutor and instructor is my way of giving back. In the past, I wasn't so strong in mathematics. As a non-traditional student at JCTC, I had instructors who invested in me, and math became alive to me,” Rummage said.

Within two semesters at JCTC, he began working as a tutor in the math lab. He then joined REACH upon transferring to UofL and worked his way through level I and II certification while working in the GEN 103/104 program. That’s when he decided to apply to be a Master Tutor.

“During this process, I became interested in a potential future as a REACH GSA. I began to glean as much knowledge as I could regarding this role in advance and had some amazing mentors during the process,” he said.

Rummage's favorite part of the job is working with his students, as well as the REACH team.

“It’s so rewarding to see a tutee grasp a concept and totally take ownership of the math problem that mere minutes ago was giving them a headache,” he said. “I'm constantly in awe of our true team atmosphere here at the University. Our REACH team always pulls together in a united front to help students succeed, and that's why we're here.”

The Peer Tutor of the Year Award is awarded to one student tutor per year by the Association for the Tutoring Profession. Rummage was nominated by the REACH leadership staff.

“Being nominated was a tremendous honor in itself. I was extremely surprised when I found out that I was chosen from a pool of nominees nationwide,” he said.

Rummage plans to graduate in December 2018 and then intends to apply for the 13-month MBA program offered by the UofL College of Business. He also plans to apply to a GSA role with REACH so he can continue to teach GEN 103/104 while pursuing a post-graduate degree.  

From there, his goal is to enter the public accounting fields and eventually obtain CPA certification.