Wyoming Wednesday: Bertine Bahige

University of Wyoming alumnus Bertine Bahige was 13 years old, growing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, when a rebel group kidnapped him to become a child soldier. Two years later, he made a daring escape that brought him to a refugee camp in Mozambique. From there, Bahige entered a refugee resettlement program that took him to Baltimore, Md. He worked three jobs and attended community college, performing so well that UW offered him a scholarship.
University of Wyoming Featured Alumnus Bertine Bahige, current principal of Rawhide Elementary school. (Photo: University of Wyoming)
“The University of Wyoming gave me a chance to dream about a quality education,” he says. “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. Through my courses at the university, coupled with the great professionals I came to know at a personal level, I feel that I was guided every step of the way to ensure my success.”

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