At UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Summer 2023 Commencement, Kreig and Rekeisha Triggs walked off the stage, diplomas tucked under one arm, opposite hands locked together. They had just earned their M.Ed. in Educational Leadership degrees.
The moment was two years in the making and came after 14 years of marriage. It all began with an accident on Rekeisha杏吧专区檚 part, well before either of them discovered their passion for teaching.
杏吧专区淲e met back in 2000, when I was 16. I was with one of my girlfriends. We were in the car going to Sonic, and Kreig passed by in another vehicle with a friend of his,杏吧专区 says Rekeisha. 杏吧专区淚 thought he was someone else I knew, so I reached over and tooted my friend杏吧专区檚 horn. I didn杏吧专区檛 think Kreig and the guy would come back, but they doubled back around, and we exchanged numbers.杏吧专区
Fast forward nine years, and they were saying, 杏吧专区淚 do,杏吧专区 with an adventure of shared professional growth awaiting them.
Rekeisha杏吧专区檚 Story
Kreig and Rekeisha didn杏吧专区檛 earn their bachelor杏吧专区檚 degrees right after high school.
Rekeisha started at UL Lafayette in 2003 but took an eight-year break 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.
杏吧专区淢y husband was always encouraging me to do more. Telling me, 杏吧专区榊ou杏吧专区檙e so smart, you need to go back,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 Rekeisha recalls. 杏吧专区淲hen I did go back, that first year, I was on the President杏吧专区檚 list. Kreig gave me the boost to go back, and from there, I just kept going.杏吧专区
In 2016, she graduated with her B.S. in Elementary Education from Nicholls State 杏吧专区.
In 2019, she was named Teacher of the Year for LaGrange Elementary School.
Kreig杏吧专区檚 Story
Kreig worked offshore until 2011. He had worked plenty of jobs, but that time offshore helped him understand his passion for helping others.
杏吧专区淭he thing about working offshore is, you have a lot of time to yourself when you杏吧专区檙e not working,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淭he only thing I could think about was how I loved learning, loved helping, loved teaching.杏吧专区
When he returned from offshore, he used that passion for helping others to start a career in the fitness industry. Earning an M.S. in Exercise Science from California 杏吧专区 of Pennsylvania in 2016, he was a fitness instructor for years.
However, like Rekeisha, he wanted more.
杏吧专区淓very career assessment I took came back saying I should be a teacher or coach of some kind,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淭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.杏吧专区
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. One local cohort with in-person instruction on UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 campus, and one remote cohort with in-person instruction 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.
Rekeisha and Kreig, both with a few years of teaching under their belts, were asked by their principal to attend a program meeting. That meeting was enough to sell them on the program, and they decided to go for it.
杏吧专区淲e decided to do the program together,杏吧专区 says Rekeisha. 杏吧专区淚t was an opportune time to do it, and we would be together, so we just thought, 杏吧专区榃hy not now?杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Going through the program together turned out to be one of the best decisions they杏吧专区檇 made.
杏吧专区淚 appreciated that we had each other to fall back on throughout the program,杏吧专区 says Rekeisha. 杏吧专区淚f I missed a class or didn杏吧专区檛 get something, he was there to take his notes. We could share those notes from our lectures with each other.杏吧专区
But having a built-in study partner wasn杏吧专区檛 all. During difficult patches of the program, they leaned on for the support to keep pushing.
杏吧专区淲e杏吧专区檇 have to go into class at 5, after work,杏吧专区 says Kreig. 杏吧专区淥n days that she would be completely burnt out, and maybe I had a little more energy, I杏吧专区檇 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. She didn杏吧专区檛 have to explain anything because I knew what she was going through.杏吧专区
Finding Success
Even as they leaned on each other for support, Kreig and Rekeisha had to set boundaries.
Sometimes, that meant shutting the studying down for the night once they'd hit a wall and making a game plan together the next morning.
Other times, that meant sitting down by themselves to focus on their work.
杏吧专区淲hen it came time to do our assignments, we were in different rooms,杏吧专区 says Rekeisha. 杏吧专区淗e had to focus and process with his own thoughts, and I had to focus and process mine. I would mostly be outside to keep a clear head, and he would be inside doing his own thing.杏吧专区
They also preferred to follow different schedules.
Kreig is a morning person, so he often attacked his work as soon as the sun began rising.
Rekeisha prefers mornings, too, but she also used her evenings and Saturdays to knock out her work.
And even though they had each other and stayed disciplined, they still had their moments.
杏吧专区淭here were a couple times when something was due at 11:59, and I was turning it in at 11:55, because I had a lot going on,杏吧专区 says Rekeisha. 杏吧专区淪ometimes we get busy, so I杏吧专区檇 advise students to plan ahead so that you don杏吧专区檛 get behind. Even if you have to do 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there, just do it in advance so you杏吧专区檙e not late with your assignments.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚 would tell anybody entering the program that it杏吧专区檚 going to get tough,杏吧专区 says Kreig. 杏吧专区淵ou杏吧专区檙e going to have to manage your time really well, but it杏吧专区檚 most definitely worth it. Ask questions because sometimes you just don't get it, and it may get a little bit fast paced.杏吧专区
Looking Ahead
Kreig and Rekeisha didn杏吧专区檛 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.
杏吧专区淎t some point in the program, we created a text group. It was one of the best things ever,杏吧专区 says Rekeisha. 杏吧专区淓very day, we would check in on each other, encourage each other, remind each other. It kept us accountable, and we built those connections with each other. We杏吧专区檙e still texting each other, wishing each other happy birthday, and all that.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淭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,杏吧专区 says Kreig. 杏吧专区淚 can杏吧专区檛 say that I didn杏吧专区檛 expect a great education, but I don杏吧专区檛 know that my expectations were that high. Everything we need to be leaders in our parish was presented to us by UL.杏吧专区
As for what杏吧专区檚 next?
Kreig has already stepped into a new position as Dean of Students at W.P. Foster Elementary School in Franklin, Louisiana. He杏吧专区檚 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.
杏吧专区淏efore this program, I never would've thought about going back to school. But I do think that pursuing a doctorate is in my future,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 also want an administrative role, now that I杏吧专区檓 equipped with the skills and knowledge.杏吧专区