Djibril Traore, an alumnus of the Teaching Excellence and Achievement program, pushed for infrastructure improvements of a local high school, Lycée Dougoukolo Konaré de Kayes, in an interview on Kayes TV on January 5th. 

Named after the former president of Mali Alpha Oumar Konare, the high school has an enrollment of roughly 1700 students, averaging about 30 to 60 students per classroom. Having taught English at the school for 14 years, Djibril gives about 16 hours of instruction every week.

Djibril was selected to participate in the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program at Montana State University in 2017. During the program, Djibril attended seminars on new teaching methodologies, curriculum development, and instructional technology. He also worked closely with a teacher at Bozeman High School, where he helped students with French activities.

"One day a student handed me a thank you letter which said on the cover: Because you made my life a whole lot better," Djibril said. "They learned a lot and the teacher gave me their copies for remembrance."

For more information, contact Janelle Rasmussen: jrasmussen@montana.edu