Seton Hall Alumna Named Archdiocese of Newark’s 2022 “Teacher of the Year” and Awarded the New Jersey Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Award  

Juliette Wester

Juliette Wester, a history teacher at Seton Hall Prep and graduate of the College of Education and Human Services, was named "Teacher of the Year" by the Archdiocese of Newark this summer and was awarded the New Jersey Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Award for 2022 by the NJ Council for American Private Education (NJCAPE).

Ms. Wester completed her Master of Arts in Education in 2012 and is currently working toward her Master of Arts in History. She began her teaching career at Sisters Academy of New Jersey in Asbury Park where she taught integrated language arts and religion, followed by eight years at Seton Hall Prep.

According to the Archdiocese, Ms. Wester was nominated for the award after her students this past year scored high marks on their advanced placement exams. The administration at Seton Hall Prep described her as a "diligent and caring teacher who is a 'mainstay at sporting events' and frequently goes above and beyond to ensure the success of SHP students."

Director of the Office of Education of the New Jersey Catholic Conference and Chairperson of the Selection Committee for the award, Dr. George Corwell, said that Ms. Wester and finalists, "demonstrate each day what it means to be fully invested in your career and they represent the best and brightest among the thousands of dedicated nonpublic schoolteachers who do their jobs in a way that embodies the true spirit of education, while enhancing the lives of nonpublic school children and the communities in which they live."

"Being recognized for this award was so amazing and really such an honor," Ms. Wester said, "but it is because I have been surrounded by such wonderful educators my whole life as both a student and a teacher. The Master of Arts in Education program at Seton Hall introduced me to amazing professors who had professional experience in the classroom and were able to share their experiences. My classmates were also all working in the classroom while in the program so there was so much collaboration. I was able to apply so much of that I was learning in the SHU classroom in my own classroom, which certainly made me more confident and effective."

Ms. Wester is part of a legacy family – her mother, Liz ('79), studied education and earned her B.S.E.; her father, Tom ('79, '82), earned his B.A. and J.D.; her brothers, Tommy ('12) and Pat ('16), earned their J.D. and B.S.N. respectively; her brother, Matt, is on schedule to complete his J.D. in May 2023 and her sister, Maura, is slated to earn her J.D. in May 2025.

Categories: Education