Business Education Teacher and DECA Advisor Mrs. Bridget Landers won this year’s “Rookie Teacher of the Year” award.

The award is given to a teacher nominated by her peers who have been at Socastee High School for less than three years.

“She does her job phenomenally,” Principal Mr. Jeremy Rich said. “She has wonderful classroom management skills, she builds trust and relationships with her students, and she teaches her kids to have a start in life.”

An alumni of Socastee High School class of 2004, Mrs. Landers attended Coastal Carolina, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Finance, then received her masters in Business Education from the University of South Carolina. 

Before teaching, she worked in several industries, including eight years as a Senior Solutions Specialist with Unified Technology Systems. She has been teaching at Socastee for two years, and this year has taught Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Fashion and a virtual class. 

Mrs. Landers said she was surprised when she received the award in February.

“My department actually threw a luncheon for me as a surprise,” she said. “I didn’t even know I got the award until they surprised me.”

She said she tries to lead students to be leaders and successful in business.

“I really hope they take these skills and use them for some kind of job, college/trade school, or even a career,” she said.

She is a big believer in dreams, she said.

“You’re only young once, so be that free person who lives their life to the fullest.”

Mrs. Landers is doing just that, as she just had a second baby girl on March 12.