Meet Jasmine Kotsay: Expanding on a Vision for Education

In the Riverside County Office of Education classroom of deaf/hard of hearing teacher, Stefanie Dowell, the typical day consists of working with seven students between the ages of three and five. The students learn through play, extending their language, and making sure their auditory-enhancing equipment is working.

“And, you know, we also learn to not eat our boogers and don’t touch your friends—that’s in there too,” Stefanie said with a knowing chuckle.

After her students head home for the day, Stefanie starts her work as an induction coach with the Center for Teacher Innovation (CTI) in the Riverside County Office of Education’s School of Education.

One of Stefanie’s induction candidates, Jasmine Kotsay, is a role model that parents in Stefanie’s class would hope for their own children to emulate someday.

Jasmine's Journey

Born six weeks early as a Christmas Day baby in San Bernardino, Jasmine was born blind with Septo-Optic Dysplasia (also known as DeMorsier Syndrome), a birth defect characterized by a malformed optic disk and nerve, pituitary deficiencies, and an unformed portion of the septum that separates the ventricles of the brain. There is no correction for this nerve-related defect that also contributes to other health-related issues for Jasmine—such as the diabetes insipidus she deals with daily, and debilitating headaches.

“I reminded myself of the same thing I tell other people—that just because you're blind, it doesn't mean you can't live,” Jasmine said. “There are blind people that go skydiving and enjoy hiking. Blindness is not what defines me, yet there are many things that do.”

For Jasmine, one of those defining qualities from an early age has been the desire to help teach children who are blind. Because of the positive impact that teachers had on her life as a child, Jasmine’s goal was always to become a teacher and return the favor for future generations.

“My parents and teachers said I can do anything I put my mind to, and I want to share that with my students someday too," Jasmine said when interviewed as a student at San Bernardino Valley College in 2009. "I love to help people and I feel like I can be a good asset to somebody who wants to learn."

Jasmine remembers her parents never describing to her that she had a disease, and has never seen herself as having a disability.

“Of course there are things that I can't do, but, then again, there are things that lots of people can't do.”

Jasmine proceeded to earn an associate’s degree from San Bernardino Valley College in 2012, and a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a multiple subject credential from California State University, San Bernardino, in 2016.

“After that, I swore that I was done with school, but, I lied,” Jasmine said. “I have been in school longer than some doctors.”

Less than a year later, she enrolled in a master’s degree program at California State University, Los Angeles to prepare for a career in teaching the blind or visually impaired.

She commuted by train from her home in Bloomington to the campus—sometimes by herself to prove that she could.

After completing her master’s degree in 2021, her long-desired goal of helping young students like herself was within reach, but Jasmine found it difficult to land a job.

“I applied to multiple districts, and I think I scared them as they weren’t quite sure what to do with me,” Jasmine said.

After months of interviews and rejection letters, Jasmine’s mother, Roberta, remembers the mounting despair of seeing her daughter who was depressed, angry, and didn’t know what to do with her life.

“After she was rejected from a volunteer opportunity and came back to the car just bawling, it broke my heart to hear her ask, ‘What good am I anyway?’,” Roberta said.

An Opportunity Emerges

Jasmine learned of an opportunity with an organization called Braille Abilities, a non-public agency that provides services to students that are blind and/or visually impaired.

She was hired as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired in the summer of 2023 and works with students ranging in age from birth to 22 all across the Inland Empire. From teaching Braille and solving assistive technology issues, to encouraging parents and addressing other barriers to learning, Jasmine has finally found her niche.

“I love it because there is no monotony. Every lesson is always different for every kid,” Jasmine said. “I feel like I’ve met my true calling with Braille Abilities because not only do I have support from my family, but now from my colleagues, and from the boss.”

Recently, Jasmine had a breakthrough with a student who didn’t want to learn to read, but is now able to write all of his spelling words for the first time.

“It feels exhilarating sometimes, and I have to stop myself and remember that I’m the one who helped him with that breakthrough,” Jasmine said.

Braille Abilities founder/president, Sara Seemayer, remembers Jasmine’s desire to help students from the very beginning.

“She's great at technology and teaching technology, and I am learning from her every day by how she faces her struggles and helps us with resources for students and parents,” Seemayer said. “She's just such a bubbly person and all she wants is to do well and to make a positive impact on other people around her.”

Taking the Next Step in Her Teaching Career

In California, a two-tiered credentialing system exists for teachers with preliminary programs preparing candidates to obtain an initial teaching credential through successful completion of required coursework, fieldwork, and a performance demonstration of their knowledge, skills, and abilities.

The second tier of preparation is a two-year job-embedded individualized induction program that is focused on extensive support and mentoring to new teachers in their first and second years of teaching.

When Jasmine was searching for an induction program that met her needs, she discovered the Riverside County Office of Education’s Center for Teacher Innovation (CTI) Program.

“RCOE was the only one I could find with an online orientation and program,” Jasmine said. “I talked with several team members, and they have helped me complete the program.”

Jasmine is finishing her second year in the online teacher induction program which serves nearly 3,500 teachers annually throughout California.

Although the CTI team had never worked with a student like Jasmine before, the team was ready to support her needs as soon as she enrolled.

“The first time I met her, I was a little intimidated because it was my first time working with someone who is a specialist in working with the visually impaired, who also has a disability herself,” her assigned induction coach, Stefanie admitted. “I told her, ‘You need to let me know how I can best serve you because this is completely new for me. I can help and guide you, but I need to learn from you.’”

Jasmine and Stefanie meet every Monday for an hour or more, and Stefanie has learned a lot about dedication and not giving up.

“She has so much tenacity, but she does it with a smile and is so gracious,” Stefanie said. “She’s just a great person and is very inspiring.”

During one coaching session, Stefanie flipped the script on Jasmine who helped her find a solution for a student struggling to see words correctly.

“I probably would've never thought of that on my own, so just collaborating with her and seeing things from her background is helping me,” Stefanie said.

As an induction coach, Stefanie works with many different teachers and the learning is mutually beneficial and impactful.

“I like to coach, because not only am I giving them something, but they're also helping me in my classroom after teaching for 14 years,” Stefanie said. “Sometimes you kind of get stuck in a routine, but because I always meet new teachers, it helps me to not get stuck.”

Even though both Jasmine and Stefanie described their nervousness at the start of their working relationship, now they are a great team.

“One of the best things I’ve ever done in my life is to get to know Stefanie,” Jasmine said. “She is a beautiful and amazing person, and I recommend her to my colleagues who haven’t started their induction program yet. I tell them that if you go to CTI, you have to get Stefanie Dowell as your coach.”

“She has helped me build confidence as a teacher. I knew I was competent, but I was not confident. She helped me build that,” Jasmine said. “Every time I meet with her, she’s always encouraging and helpful. She knows the right words to say and the right way to say them to make you feel good.”

A Dream Fulfilled

“I think seeing Jasmine can give other people hope,” Stefanie said. “She has her degree and she's continuing to further educate herself. Not only for students, but I think that she brings hope to the parents to see her working in the field—that their kids can be like Jasmine and be a working citizen.”

After hearing her induction coach’s statement describing Jasmine’s fulfillment of her lifelong dream to help others, Jasmine was emotional.

“That’s really deep, and it’s not easy to make me cry around other people. Hearing that makes me feel good,” Jasmine confessed. “There are many days when I’m thinking that I must be doing something wrong when kids aren’t behaving that day, but I am learning that I do make a difference.”

Now a role model for students and a beacon of hope for parents, Jasmine is not only fulfilling her dream but, in doing so, inspiring those around her to have the confidence to do more and dream bigger.