At UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Summer 2023 Commencement, Kreig and Rekeisha Triggs walked off the stage and headed toward their seats, diplomas tucked under one arm, opposite hands locked together. They had just earned their M.Ed. in Educational Leadership degrees.
This shared special moment was two years in the making and came after 14 years of marriage, but it all started due to an accident on Rekeisha小蝌蚪APP檚 part, well before either of them had discovered their passion for teaching.
小蝌蚪APP淲e met back in 2000, when I was 16. I was with one of my girlfriends. We were in the car going to get some Sonic, and Kreig passed by in another vehicle with a friend of his,小蝌蚪APP says Rekeisha. 小蝌蚪APP淚 thought he was someone else who I knew, so I reached over and tooted my friend小蝌蚪APP檚 horn. I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 think Kreig and the guy he was with would come back, but they doubled back around, and we exchanged numbers.小蝌蚪APP
Fast forward nine years, and they were saying, 小蝌蚪APP淚 do,小蝌蚪APP with an adventure of shared professional growth awaiting them.
Rekeisha小蝌蚪APP檚 Story
Neither Kreig nor Rekeisha earned their bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees or found their passion for education immediately after high school.
Rekeisha had started working toward her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree at UL Lafayette in 2003, but she took an eight-year break from school after her first year.
During this time, she worked as a finance officer for World Finance and a cage manager at a casino.
However, there was more waiting for her, and Kreig helped her realize that.
小蝌蚪APP淢y husband was that person to always encourage me to do more, telling me, 小蝌蚪APP榊ou小蝌蚪APP檙e so smart, you need to go back,小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP Rekeisha recalls. 小蝌蚪APP淲hen I did go back, that first year, I was on the President小蝌蚪APP檚 list. Kreig gave me the boost to go back, and from there, I just kept going.小蝌蚪APP
In 2016, she graduated with her B.S. in Elementary Education from Nicholls State 小蝌蚪APP.
In 2019, she was named Teacher of the Year for LaGrange Elementary School.
Kreig小蝌蚪APP檚 Story
Kreig worked offshore until 2011. He had worked plenty of jobs, but that time offshore helped him understand his passion for helping others.
小蝌蚪APP淭he thing about working offshore is that you just have a lot of time to yourself when you小蝌蚪APP檙e not working,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淭he only thing I could ever think about was how I loved learning, how I loved helping, how I loved teaching.小蝌蚪APP
When he returned from offshore, he used that passion for helping others to start a career in the fitness industry, working as a fitness instructor for many years and earning an M.S. in Exercise Science from California 小蝌蚪APP of Pennsylvania in 2016.
However, like Rekeisha, he also wanted more.
小蝌蚪APP淓very career or personal assessment I took came back showing that I should be a teacher or coach of some kind,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat made me think about when I was in school. Those were my best moments. I did some reflecting, I went to some local schools and school boards, and I found an alternative certification program.小蝌蚪APP
Eventually, Kreig put in his two-week notice at the fitness center where he worked. His last day was a Friday, and the next Monday, he was in the classroom teaching science.
He later merged his passion for fitness with his passion for teaching, working as an elementary P.E. teacher.
Journeys Collide in the M.Ed. Program
Each fall, two new cohorts of students enroll in the hybrid M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program小蝌蚪APP攐ne Lafayette cohort, with in-person instruction taking place on UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 campus, and one remote cohort, with in-person instruction taking place at one of our regionally-affiliated district offices.
In Fall 2021, the program was set to enroll a cohort of educators from St. Mary Parish, and Rekeisha and Kreig, both with a few years of teaching under their belts, were asked by their principal to attend an informational meeting on the program.
That meeting was enough to sell them on the program, and they decided to go for it.
小蝌蚪APP淲e decided to do the program together,小蝌蚪APP says Rekeisha. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was an opportune time to do it, and we would be together, so we just thought, 小蝌蚪APP榃hy not now?小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Deciding to go through the program together turned out to be one of the best decisions they小蝌蚪APP檇 made, and it made earning their master小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees so much easier for them.
小蝌蚪APP淚 appreciated that we had each other to fall back on throughout the program,小蝌蚪APP says Rekeisha. 小蝌蚪APP淚f there was something I missed in class or didn小蝌蚪APP檛 get, he was there to make his notes, and we could share those notes from our lectures with each other.小蝌蚪APP
And simply having a built-in study partner wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 all小蝌蚪APP攄uring difficult patches of the program, they always had each other to lean on for the support and energy they needed to keep pushing.
小蝌蚪APP淲e小蝌蚪APP檇 have to go into class at 5, after work,小蝌蚪APP says Kreig. 小蝌蚪APP淥n days that she would be completely burnt out, and maybe I had a little more energy, I小蝌蚪APP檇 just drive. Something as simple as that made it so much easier to manage. I could relate to her frustration when she was getting tired or weary, and she didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have to explain anything because I knew what she was going through.小蝌蚪APP
Finding Success
Even as they leaned on each other for support, Kreig and Rekeisha had to know when and how to set boundaries.
Sometimes, that meant shutting the studying down for the night once they had hit a wall and coming up with a game plan together the next morning.
Other times, that meant sitting down by themselves to focus on their work.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen it came time to do our assignments, we were in different rooms,小蝌蚪APP says Rekeisha. 小蝌蚪APP淗e had to focus and come up with his own thoughts, and I had to focus and come up with mine. I would mostly be outside because I like to have a clear head, and he would be inside doing his own thing.小蝌蚪APP
They also preferred to follow different schedules.
Kreig is a morning person, so he often got up and attacked his work head-on as soon as the sun began to rise.
Rekeisha prefers working in the morning, too, but she also tried to use her evenings after school and Saturdays to knock out some of her work.
And even though they had each other and stayed disciplined, they still had their moments.
小蝌蚪APP淭here were one or two times where if something was due at 11:59, I was turning it in at probably 11:55, because I had a lot going on,小蝌蚪APP says Rekeisha. 小蝌蚪APP淪ometimes we get busy, so I小蝌蚪APP檇 advise students to plan ahead so that you don小蝌蚪APP檛 get behind. Even if you have to do 20 minutes of work here and 20 minutes there, just make sure you do it in advance so that you小蝌蚪APP檙e not late with your assignments.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚 would tell anybody entering the program that it小蝌蚪APP檚 going to get tough,小蝌蚪APP says Kreig. 小蝌蚪APP淵ou小蝌蚪APP檙e going to have to manage your time really well, but it小蝌蚪APP檚 most definitely worth it. Ask questions when needed because sometimes you just may not get it, and it may get a little bit fast paced.小蝌蚪APP
Looking Ahead
Kreig and Rekeisha didn小蝌蚪APP檛 only grow closer with each other as they completed the program. They also found a community of educators, passionate about supporting each other, even beyond the classroom.
小蝌蚪APP淎t some point in the program, we created a text group, and it was one of the best things ever,小蝌蚪APP recalls Rekeisha. 小蝌蚪APP淓very day, we would check in on each other, encourage each other, remind each other. It kept us accountable, and we built those relationships with each other. We小蝌蚪APP檙e still texting each other, wishing each other happy birthday, and all that.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淭he professors are just flat out wonderful. And I mean that from an instructional standpoint and a personal standpoint. They really have your best interests at heart,小蝌蚪APP says Kreig. 小蝌蚪APP淚 can小蝌蚪APP檛 say that I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 expect a great education, but I don小蝌蚪APP檛 know that my expectations were that high. Everything we need to be leaders in our parish was presented to us by UL.小蝌蚪APP
As for what小蝌蚪APP檚 next?
Kreig has already stepped into a new position as Dean of Students at W.P. Foster Elementary School in Franklin, Louisiana. He小蝌蚪APP檚 one of three students from his cohort to have received a promotion for the 2023-24 school year.
He hopes to continue moving up and creating change in his school system.
And soon, Rekeisha may be going by Dr. Triggs.
小蝌蚪APP淏efore this program, I never would have thought that I want to go back to school, but I do think that pursuing a doctorate is in my future,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 also want an administrative role, now that I小蝌蚪APP檓 equipped with the skills and knowledge.小蝌蚪APP