Jasmine Simmons has known she wanted to be a teacher ever since she was a little girl playing that role with her cousins and sisters.
The 22-year-old’s dream will now be fulfilled with a degree in early childhood education from South Carolina State University.
“I’m a first-generation college student, so this experience has been eye-opening. It’s been something bigger than I ever could have imagined,” said Simmons, who is from St. George, South Carolina.
“I can’t wait to get into my field as a teacher. It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a young girl. I’m excited now about having the opportunity to put that into practice in a real classroom,” she said.
Simmons was one of nine graduating seniors inducted into the teaching profession on Monday, May 4, during SC State’s Educator Induction Ceremony ahead of spring commencement exercises, which will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, May 8, at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
The SC State College of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences celebrates the students and the contributions they will make to the teaching profession with the ceremony. Students reflect on preparation and purpose
Simmons has her postgraduation plans firmly in place. “After graduation, I will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the South Carolina National Guard, and I’ll be teaching, too. I’ll be a parttime officer along with teaching second grade at Marshall Elementary School in Orangeburg,” she said.
Simmons said SC State has prepared her for her next journey in life.
“SC State prepared me by giving me professors who are very passionate about education. That has rubbed off on me. Even though I was passionate, it made me even more passionate seeing that they really genuinely cared about the future of young minds and shaping them for whatever the world has to offer,” she said.
Along with Simmons, the newly inducted educators and their disciplines are:
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Victoria Davis, biology education.
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Tianna Murray, elementary education.
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Briana Roper, early childhood education.
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Nyasia Witter, early childhood education.
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Javion Smith, physical education.
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Autumn Staggers, art education.
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Justin Smith, mathematics education.
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Olivia Ratliff, middle level English education.
Javion Smith, who is from Orangeburg, said SC State’s professors helped shape him into the man he is.
“They showed me a lot. They helped build me into the person I am today by being here and being around the nice energy and the professors and advisors,” he said.
“After graduation, I plan
on teaching physical education here in Orangeburg. I’m still working on where,” said the 22-year-old, who also offered advice for undergraduates at SC State.
“Never give up. That’s the number one thing. Never say you can’t do something before you try. You never know how you might surprise yourself,” he said.
Justin, 22, who is also from Orangeburg, plans to teach mathematics at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School and also work on a master’s degree.
He is also president of the university’s Call Me MiSTER Program, which is designed to provide a pipeline of highly effective educators to South Carolina’s public schools who will serve their communities as mentors and role models.
“The Call Me MiSTER Program paired with the teacher education program has given me all of the skills I need to perform effectively in the field. Not too many people are getting into education and much less math education, so I figured I could use what I was a bit better at to help those that either do not like math or just don’t care too much for it,” Justin said.
Ratliff, 22, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, said she was excited about graduation and the recognition that Monday’s ceremony gave to her and her peers. She is also Miss SC State for the 2025-26 academic year.
