Cane Bay High is excited to share that Cadet Ryder Livingston, a rising senior and member of the school’s AFJROTC program, was recently named the Region 3, Sub-Region 3 Cadet of the Year by Headquarters AFJROTC.
In addition, Livingston was presented with the Military Officer’s Association of America Award at the JROTC National Award Ceremony.
Livingston was nominated for the Cadet of the Year recognition by Maj USAF (Ret) Christopher D. Perham, senior aerospace science instructor at Cane Bay High, and subsequently selected by Jason Joyce, AFJROTC Regional Director representing the East Central Region and Sub-Region 3. Region 3 of AFJROTC consists of all AFJROTC units in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Region 3 consists of seven sub-regions, each of which consists of 30 units that Joyce oversees. All 30 of Joyce’s units are within the state of South Carolina and make up Sub-Region 3.
In short, Livingston was selected as the top cadet out of about 30 schools. Furthermore, Perham was also named Instructor of the Year for Region 3, Sub-Region 3.
“Cadet Livingston exemplifies the highest standards of leadership, service and academic excellence in the Cane Bay High School Air Force JROTC program,” Perham wrote about Livingston when he nominated him. “Cadet Livingston has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to mission success, personal growth and the empowerment of others.”
Livingston comes from a military family and transferred to Cane Bay after living in Japan. He said he was pleasantly surprised with the recognition.
“I am just honored to have it – I never thought I’d end up getting something at that level,” he said.
After submitting to Headquarters, Livingston was also presented with the Military Officer’s Association of America Award. The MOAA awards program recognizes outstanding cadets in their next-to-last year of their ROTC or JROTC program who demonstrate exceptional leadership or academic achievement.
Livingston is credited for orchestrating Cane Bay High’s 14-mile Bataan Death March Memorial Hike, coordinated with community members and recruiters earlier this semester. He led the charge for his program’s unit evaluation, and preparations led to a score of 97 (“exceeds standards"). He also led the school’s Raider Team to three third-place finishes in the regional competitions, amassed 110 leadership development requirement hours and 44 community service hours.
Livingston is also an outstanding student, with a 4.57 GPA and currently ranked in the top 10 percent of his class. He hopes to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy after high school.
Livingston said his favorite part of AFJROTC is the community aspect.
“It’s meant to be a leadership workshop,” he said. “It’s amazing to see how certain kids are able to take these projects or assignments and turn them into something great. I’ve seen that many times throughout my years in ROTC and I hope to keep seeing it.”
Cane Bay High’s AFJROTC program just wrapped up a very eventful school year. The program received the “Sword of Excellence” award by the South Carolina Air Force Association; this award goes to the most outstanding AFJROTC unit in the state, recognizing their achievements throughout the year.
The program also recently received the Distinguished Unit with Merit for the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, it was one of two South Carolina Units to earn the Silver Star Community Service with Excellence Award.
Congratulations to Cadet Livingston, Maj Perham and all of Cane Bay’s AFJROTC students for this year’s achievements!