BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Cadet Ryder Livingston, a rising senior at Cane Bay High School, has been named Region 3, Sub-Region 3 Cadet of the Year by Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC, an honor recognizing him as the top-performing cadet among 30 schools across South Carolina.
The announcement marks a major milestone for the AFJROTC program at Cane Bay and highlights the growing influence of student leadership in military preparatory programs.
Livingston, who moved to Cane Bay from Japan and comes from a military family, said he was “honored” by the recognition. “I never thought I’d end up getting something at that level,” he told the school.
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In addition to the regional title, Livingston also received the Military Officer’s Association of America Award, given to top cadets in their junior year who demonstrate academic and leadership excellence.
Livingston’s résumé speaks for itself: He helped organize a 14-mile Bataan Death March Memorial Hike, led the Raider Team to multiple top finishes, and guided the JROTC unit to a 97 “exceeds standards” score on its evaluation. He has logged over 150 combined hours in leadership development and community service, maintains a 4.57 GPA, and ranks in the top 10 percent of his class.
“Cadet Livingston exemplifies the highest standards of leadership, service, and academic excellence,” said Maj. Christopher D. Perham, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and senior instructor at the school, who also received regional honors as Instructor of the Year.
The AFJROTC program at Cane Bay High is riding a wave of success. It was recently named the state’s most outstanding unit by the South Carolina Air Force Association, earning the prestigious “Sword of Excellence.” The program also secured the Distinguished Unit with Merit award and the national Silver Star Community Service with Excellence Award—one of only two schools in South Carolina to do so.
Livingston, who hopes to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy after graduation, credits the program’s community atmosphere for its impact. “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.”
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Cane Bay’s AFJROTC program continues to set a high bar for excellence in youth military training and leadership development across the state and beyond.
