Bertine Bahige comes from humble beginnings, growing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before being kidnapped by a rebel group. Two years later, he escaped to a refugee camp in Mozambique, which he was in for five years. He then came to the U.S. as part of a refugee education program, which later led him to UW.
Bahige credits UW as the catalyst of his success in the workplace and beyond, due to its accessibility, affordability, and more. He graduated from UW in 2009 with a bachelor’s in mathematics and mathematics education, before earning a master’s in educational leadership from South Dakota State University. He is now working on his doctoral degree in educational leadership at UW.
He taught math at Campbell County High School and became a principal at Rawhide Elementary School, before taking a new job as principal of Stocktrail Elementary School, which he will start this fall. He is proud of the Dual Immersion program that he has piloted in Gillette, which he will continue to run at Stocktrail. His general philosophy as principal is to give back to the community that gave him a chance to find success, and to show students that education is formative.
Bahige has received numerous awards for his efforts, some of them including: Wyoming's 2021 Most Distinguished Principal, the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants of 2022 Award, and he was also able to share his story in New York at the United Nations General Assembly on the Global Compact on Refugees and Education in 2019.
Bahige is an inspiration to all who have had the privilege to speak with him, especially his students. When asked what he would tell a young version of himself, he mentioned a quote that his parents often shared with him as a child: “Education is the most powerful weapon that can change the world,” and this has surely been true for Bahige in his life.
Please click on the photo to reach his feature video from 2019.
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