State Treasurer Curtis Loftis Recognizes Melissa Williams of Pickens High School as Educator of the Month

October Educator of the Month Melissa Williams.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized the School District of Pickens County’s Melissa C. Williams of Pickens High School as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for October.

“Financial literacy education is a vital tool that enables students to become responsible citizens,” Treasurer Loftis said. “Through our South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program, we are helping young adults become more conscientious about their financial habits. I applaud dedicated educators like Melissa Williams, who prepares her students for future success by helping them learn to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives.”

Ms. Williams earned both her Bachelor of Science in mathematics teaching and her Master of Education in secondary mathematics education from Clemson University. She also holds a Gifted and Talented Endorsement and an Online Instruction Endorsement. A math teacher since 2012, Williams has taught Algebra for the past six years at Pickens High School.

“Teaching financial education is important to help students start adulthood with a healthy understanding of budgeting, investing, saving, insurance, building credit and other key financial concepts so they can be great stewards of their money,” said Williams. “Many students do not have parents and guardians that are able to teach them about positive money habits, so I’m glad to be able to instill in them a few good practices that will build healthy relationships with managing their money.”

The South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program provides incentives to K-12 teachers who are experts in the area of financial literacy and have a desire to teach professional development workshops to other educators in their schools and districts. Through the program, participating teachers have access to specialized training and financial literacy curriculum resources that better enable them to promote financial literacy education in K-12 schools.

Sponsored by Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, and in partnership with SC Economics, this statewide financial literacy initiative aims to increase teacher support and involvement in incorporating personal finance education into the curriculum.

About Future Scholar
Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, is administered through the State Treasurer’s Office. For more information, visit FutureScholar.com or follow @SCStateTreasurer on Facebook. Future Scholar is self-supported and does not receive taxpayer funding.