Doctoral Graduate Selected as 2024-25 Gerard Babo Award Winner
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Maryan Al-Houssein, Ed.S. ’20/Ed.D. ’24 (Ed.D., Prek-12) has been selected as the
2024-25 Gerard Babo Award winner.
Gerard (Gerry) Babo, Ph.D., was an associate professor in the Department of Education Leadership, Management and Policy in the former College of Education and Human Services. After his passing, the Babo family and the College established a fund in his memory to perpetuate his work with students and to honor his incredible dedication to his students, his community and Seton Hall.
Gerry Babo was the epitome of a servant leader, an outstanding educator and researcher. As this year’s winner, Al-Houssein embodies each of these characteristics. Her dissertation, which she successfully defended in 2024, was titled "Leveling Up: Students' Perceptions of Digital Game-Based Learning." The study investigated middle school students’ perceptions of digital game-based learning in the classroom, focusing on engagement, motivation and academic achievement. Al-Houssein collected data from middle school students directly, an often underutilized, yet much-needed, approach to qualitative inquiry. She graduated with a cumulative 3.89 GPA and is currently a vice principal in Patterson Public Schools.
Beyond the classroom, Al-Houssein engages in a variety of professional and community service. At her current school, she led the creation of its first Makerspace, securing funding through the district and DonorsChoose projects. This initiative fostered hands-on, interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students. Additionally, she created and organized a digital school newspaper, The Cougar Chronicle, encouraging student and staff involvement and giving students a platform for expression and leadership. She engages with educational leaders across New Jersey as a resident in the NJL2L mentorship program.
On the local level, she has partnered with the Great Swamp Watershed Association and City Green to establish her school’s first rain and vegetable garden, promoting environmental awareness and sustainability in the local community. Additionally, she served on the Circassian Education Foundation's scholarship committee, contributing to gala planning, scoring student essays, and emceeing events — helping to provide educational opportunities for local students.
Al-Houssein will be formally recognized during the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media’s graduation ceremony on Wednesday, May 14. Past winners of this award include Xanthy Karamanos (Ed.D., K-12) 2020-21, Jorge Ventura (Ed.D., K-12) 2021-22, Nicole Giglia (Ph.D., Higher Education) 2022-23, and Flor Reyes (M.A., Law Enforcement Executive Leadership) 2023-24.
The faculty of ELMP would also like to recognize this year’s other nominees:
- Daniela Montoya, M.A.E., Higher Education and Student Affairs
Daniela Montoya, a December 2024 graduate of the Higher Education and Student Affairs program, serves as the area coordinator for the first-year area in residence life, following a successful tenure as the residence coordinator of Seton Hall’s Boland Hall North. Known for her dedication to student success, she has mentored undergraduate student leaders and provided invaluable guidance in the development of their senior seminar papers, several of which have been published.
Her leadership has been recognized with numerous accolades, including Staff Member of the Year and leading her student staff to achieve Staff of the Year honors. She is also actively involved in the THRIVE workshop, a new initiative focused on fostering resilience, mindfulness and relationship-building among students. - Manuel Rios, M.A., Law Enforcement Executive Leadership
While pursuing his master's degree and maintaining a stellar 3.9 GPA, Sergeant Manuel Rios not only earned a promotion within the Franklin Township Police Department but reimagined what police leadership can accomplish in underserved communities. His leadership of Franklin's "My Brother's Keeper" initiative — the only police-led chapter in the nation — has created a unique model where officers and community mentors collaborate to guide young men of color toward positive futures.
Through his year-round basketball clinics, Sergeant Rios doesn't just teach basketball — he dismantles barriers of mistrust while empowering future leaders. His decade of service with Goodwill and his work with "Stop Shootin" to combat gun violence in Newark, New Jersey, demonstrate that his commitment to service knows no jurisdictional boundaries.
