As a child growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bertine Bahige dreamed of becoming a doctor. But at 13, he was kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier. Survival became his only goal. After about a year, he escaped — but the journey to safety was harrowing: he jumped into a passing canoe, hid in a cargo truck, and walked for days while battling malaria.
After living in a refugee camp in Mozambique for five years, Bahige arrived in Maryland through a refugee resettlement program. He worked three jobs while attending community college at night before embarking on a career in education. Today, he is the beloved principal of Rawhide Elementary School in Gillette, Wyoming. Named Wyoming’s National Distinguished Principal in 2021, Bahige is known for going out of his way to help students in a school where more than half receive free or reduced-price lunch and 40 percent study English as a second language. Under his leadership, Rawhide has been transformed: academic scores have gone up and the newly vibrant school community is thriving.
“This country took a chance on someone who had nothing, and it has blessed me to be who I am,” he said. “I look at it as my civic duty, my responsibility, to give back that way.”
A doctoral candidate at the University of Wyoming, Bahige also coaches soccer, volunteers to help students prepare for their college exams, and serves on several nonprofit boards.
