Empowering Servant Educators
Maryan Al-Houssein is embarking on the next chapter of her career with support from an endowed fund memorializing a beloved Seton Hall education professor.
When Gerard Babo, Ed.D. ’01 passed in 2019 at the age of 62, his family established
a memorial fund to honor his legacy as a longtime educator, Seton Hall professor,
and exemplar of the school’s servant leadership mission. Since the Seton Hall’s College
of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM) has annually granted the Gerard Babo
Award to a student who embodies Babo’s dedication to teaching, research, and community
service.
Maryan Al-Houssein, Ed.S. ’20/Ed.D. ’24 was a natural choice for the 2025 award, which
she formally accepted during CHDCM’s graduate commencement and hooding ceremony
this past May. Born and raised in Haledon, NJ, Al-Houssein discovered her passion
for education at Manchester Regional High School, inspired by an English teacher who
introduced her to Hemingway and Steinbeck.
Al-Houssein went on to study English at William Paterson University, from which she
earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2011 and a Master of Education in 2017. She began teaching
at Paterson Public Schools in 2012, rising up from the position of fifth grade teacher
to her current role as a vice principal at Public School No. 25. There, Al-Houssein
is responsible for supporting staff on a daily basis and “ensuring that students get
the best education possible,” she says. Beyond her administrative responsibilities,
she has served her elementary school community by creating a digital student newspaper
and securing funding for a “Makerspace” devoted to 3D printed STEM projects.
After completing her master’s at William Paterson, Al-Houssein decided to continue
her graduate studies. She attended an open house at Seton Hall to learn more about
its doctoral program in education. “As soon as I stepped onto the campus,” she says,
“I knew that was where I wanted to pursue my doctorate. Everyone was so warm, and
the program really aligned with working full time. They made me feel like I’d be getting
the support that I needed.”
The annual Gerard Babo Award was established in 2019 to support Seton Hall students pursuing advanced degrees in education and leadership. Maryan Al-Houssein, who completed her Doctor of Education in 2024, is the fifth recipient.
At Seton Hall, Al-Houssein’s research focused on the perception of digital gaming in middle-school-aged classrooms. “I knew that a lot of my colleagues were incorporating games,” she says, “and I wanted to know how that affected students’ motivation, desire to learn, and academic performance.” She now has data to back up recommendations for teachers. “The overall theme is to use gaming carefully. It’s not just a time filler — there has to be a purpose to it.”
"It really made me feel like my efforts were recognized."
Al-Houssein, who envisions a long-term career with Paterson Public Schools, used her Babo Award to pay down student loan debt. “It was a very meaningful contribution.” The sense of empowerment the award gave her can’t be measured in dollars. “It really made me feel like my efforts were recognized,” she says. “It shows that all the hard work and late nights and stress were worth it.”
