4 minute read
Education Needs More Cowboys
Bertine Bahige working with a student at Rawhide Elementary in Gillette
By Jason Harper
College of Education alumni are integral to the state of Wyoming and beyond. They ensure our youngest citizens are given the best chance for their future and also work to support the mental health and wellness of all our citizens. Aside from their careers, our alumni are also local leaders whose everyday actions elevate everyone around them.
Bertine Bahige, principal at Rawhide Elementary in Gillette and co-director of the school’s dual-immersion (DLI) program; and Kristi Von Krosigk, UW pre-service teacher program facilitator in Sheridan county, are two UW College of Education alumni who showcase their Cowboy values by playing key roles in their communities.
“There is nothing compared to the resiliency and the hard work of a Cowboy. Understanding that nothing will come easy but through hard work, perseverance and commitment to problem solving, everything is possible,” Bahige says.
Kristi Von Krosigk in front of the College of Education Building
His story starts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and his journey to his newfound home in Wyoming took an immense amount of resilience. After escaping a rebel group that kidnapped him at 13 to become a child solder, he found himself a refugee.
He arrived to the U.S. as part of a resettlement program. A determined Bahige worked three jobs and attended a community college in hopes that his efforts would provide him with a better future. His grit paid off and his performance in community college earned him a scholarship to UW.
“The University of Wyoming gave me a chance to dream about a quality education. As a refugee who arrived in this country that I now call home with virtually nothing, I knew deep inside that education was a key to a successful future — but most importantly to an opportunity to give back to this great state and community that welcomed me,” says Bahige.
Bahige would earn his bachelors degree in mathematics and mathematics education in 2009 from UW before obtaining his master’s degree in education leadership from South Dakota State. His teaching career began at Campbell County High School (CCHS) before becoming the principal at Rawhide Elementary.
Bahige utilizes his experience as an English Language Learner (ELL) to help support ELLs at his school attain a quality education through his guidance of the DLI program. His efforts have been so successful and the demand for the program is so high, there is a lottery and waitlist for students to be admitted.
In addition to his work as principal, Bahige coaches soccer at CCHS and is a board member for both the John Paul II Catholic School in Gillette and Children’s Developmental Services. He has also coached cross-country and volunteered to help prepare high school students for the ACT.
Von Krosigk is a second-generation UW graduate and her daughter will become the third generation to graduate a Cowboy. Although originally reluctant to attend college in her home state, Von Krosigk found a sense of family in the small community at UW.
“The value of dedication and a sense of belonging are what ties me to the University of Wyoming. I have always felt like I am part of UW — from a graduate, educator, alumni to parent, there is a sense of tradition,” says Von Krosigk.
A UW graduate three times over, Von Krosigk, earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1991, then graduated with her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in 1997 before attaining an administration endorsement in 2001.
In one of her professional roles, she supervises and supports UW student teachers during their teaching practicum and helps prepare them for job interviews. She aims to extend the community atmosphere she found on campus into her home. She regularly hosts dinners and informal get-togethers so the student-teachers she supervises retain a sense of community during the most challenging time in their education.
“Teaching is sometimes an isolating profession, so I want the student teachers to feel like they always have a place to network,” says Von Krosigk. “They are always invited to my house because relationships are the key to growing and contributing to any community.”
Von Krosigk is also an entrepreneur who owns a retail store in Sheridan with her husband. The store is a creative space for people to share their products and also offers classes to support the entrepreneurial and personal growth of youth in the community. She has served on boards for the Sheridan Memorial Hospital Foundation, Center for Vital Community, Big Horn Education Fund, Sheridan County School District 1, Sheridan Senior Center endowment and Family Planning of the Big Horns (now Reproductive Healthcare of the Big Horns).
Watch this interview to see how Kristi is elevating those around her!
