Ever since she was a child, Asma Hosein knew she wanted to be an educator.
“My mom was a teacher, and she’s one of my biggest role models,” said Hosein, 21, who expects to graduate from the St. Joseph’s University, New York Long Island Campus this spring with a bachelor’s degree in child study and a concentration in psychology.
“I remember playing school with my siblings when I was younger. Going into teaching was always a passion of mine,” she added.
In fact, Hosein’s sister Amani is part of the reason she decided to attend St. Joseph’s — her, and the outstanding reputation of the teaching program.
“My older sister came to St. Joe’s, and she had a great experience,” Hosein said of her sister Amani, who graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s in human services and in 2021 with a master’s in human services leadership. “Amani is my biggest inspiration, alongside my mom. She is so hardworking and very passionate about everything she does. I love her natural ability to lead, help others and serve as a role model to everyone around her. She pushed me and helped me realize my potential. I love her with all my heart!”
A Passion for Education
While Hosein is enjoying many aspects of her senior year, the time she has spent student teaching has been her favorite so far.
“I absolutely love it,” the Selden resident said. “It made my love for teaching stronger, and it made me much more comfortable with it. I wake up, and I’m genuinely so excited to see my students every single day.”
Hosein was a student teacher in fourth- and first-grade classrooms during the fall. This spring, she is scheduled to work in special education classes as a student teacher.
“I feel like part of the reason why I want to go into teaching is because I know that I’m making a difference and a direct impact on someone’s life,” said Hosein, who teaches a kindergarten class at her local Mosque on Saturdays. “My number one goal is to help others, and I feel like I’ll be doing that as a teacher.”
Her desire to help others through education ties directly to her passion for service, which has been thriving during her time at St. Joseph’s.
“Since I was young, I’ve always been drawn to giving back and volunteer work,” Hosein said. “Service is one of the top values on my list. I’m always volunteering on the weekends because that’s just my passion.”
Hosein’s favorite service effort through St. Joseph’s took place last semester, when Project Sunshine and the Educators Club hosted a school supply drive for the Rachel Quinn Children’s Foundation, in memory of alumna Rachel (Battaglia) Quinn ’16, M.A. ’18.
“It made me feel so good because I love giving back,” said Hosein, who co-founded and served as the president for the Educators Club. “There are so many students out there who don’t have school supplies and unfortunately can’t afford them, so I knew these supplies were going to families who need them, and that definitely felt good.”
An Impactful Experience at St. Joseph’s
In addition to helping her realize her passion, Hosein credits the faculty and staff at St. Joseph’s for helping her develop leadership skills, which she further grew through her involvement in student clubs and organizations. She serves as co-program director for the Campus Activities Board (CAB), president of the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society and committee member for the Student Alumni Association.
“These past four years have honestly been such a blessing,” Hosein said. “Everyone is so uplifting, and each step of the way, I’m being shaped to become this mature adult. I definitely do feel like I’ve changed and become a leader. I’m really happy that I’ve had all those influences in various aspects of my time at St. Joe’s.”
Hosein truly cherishes the time she’s spent at St. Joseph’s and how it’s helped her grow personally as well as professionally. And now that she’s preparing for life after graduation, she’s thinking about where she may want to go for her master’s degree.
“Hopefully, fingers crossed, I would love to continue going here for grad school,” she said. “I know there’s an infant/toddler special education program, which I’ve had my eye on for the past couple of years, so I’m going to try to get into that program.”
