LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Cynthia Andrews was nominated by her colleague, Tess Lawrence.

Mrs. Andrews, who started her teaching career three decades ago, embodies all of the qualities of a true LifeChanger. She has been one of those teachers who truly has loved teaching. She has worked extremely hard to give her students a solid foundation on which to build their future education. Simply stated, Mrs. Andrews was born to be a teacher. COVID-19 may have stolen her opportunity to retire while surrounded by her students and receiving their goodbye hugs, but it can't diminish the positive impact she has made in the lives of literally hundreds of students.

Mrs. Andrews has added positivity to the schools where she has taught and has held a record of excellent performance as a true professional educator and teacher-leader. She has always been well-liked, admired, and respected by both her students and her colleagues. Throughout her stellar career in education, she has been a passionate, self-motivated educator who has been called to serve in many school leadership positions because of her expertise and her high moral and ethical standards. Her positive attitude, genuine humility, and friendly demeanor have been present in all that she has done throughout her teaching career. Students have worked hard to meet her expectations because they know Mrs. Andrews will highlight and celebrate their successes. She has taken the time to get to know her students, recognize their individual strengths and weaknesses, and magnify their learning. As a master teacher and a credit to the teaching profession, Mrs. Andrews has excelled in every area of her career. 

Mrs. Andrews is a native of Biloxi and graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelors degree in elementary education. During her tenure, she continued her education to attain certification in career technology and computer technology. She has taught fifth grade science for the past several years. Mrs. Andrews has been known for her good nature and her strong relationships with her students.  Her colleagues have known her as a worker bee, going about her day-to-day without fanfare or hoopla. Her administrators, colleagues, students, family, and friends can attest to her devotion to teaching and her skillfulness in creating a nurturing learning atmosphere in her classroom.

Mrs. Andrews' lessons have been creative, inspiring, and engaging for her students. She has helped create problem solvers through her student-centered learning experiences. She has also helped her "student scientists" learn scientific principles using experimental tools and technology that they have never used before. Learning in her science classroom has been both challenging and exciting for students while they have come to understand difficult concepts.

Mrs. Andrews has run her classroom as a well-oiled machine, even in her beginning years as an educator. She has been the teacher who so many students needed in their lives. If they lived in chaos, her class was their safe space, their consistency, and their structured home. She has held high expectations, not only for all of her students, but for herself. It was always her priority to teach children the importance of achieving their goals. She has seen the value in all of her students and has wanted to see them reach their full potential. Not only has she stayed in contact with many former students over the years, but she has also mentored and coached a few of them as they joined her grade-level team as novice teachers. Without a doubt, her impact has been monumental.

"Mrs. Andrews has seen many changes in the education system since she began teaching, but she has remained constant by giving her students the encouragement, guidance, or direction they needed," Lawrence said. "With her retirement, future students will undoubtedly miss out on her immediate influence. Hopefully, the novice teachers whom she taught while they were elementary students and whom she mentored as a veteran teacher will continue her legacy by becoming skilled, exceptional teachers, and they will inspire students as she has done for 30 years. For all these reasons and more, Mrs. Cynthia Andrews is a LifeChanger."