Hicham Hall: A Non-Traditional Path to a Rewarding Future

by John Hollis

Hicham Hall: A Non-Traditional Path to a Rewarding Future

Hicham Hall
BIS Individualized Study

Pursuing a college education as a nontraditional student can make for some budgeting and scheduling challenges, something George Mason University’s Hicham Hall knows firsthand.

Hall has been continuing his education with the support of his wife and two small children. A veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force and the Army, Hall will graduate from Mason Dec. 19 with a bachelor of individualized study in Islamic thought. He is fluent in English and Maghrebi Arabic, and is studying modern standard Arabic.

“I wasn’t always interested in religious studies,” he said. “I have always been, however, very passionate about whatever it is I found interesting.”

The path hasn’t been easy for Hall, who worked full-time as an emergency room technician while in school and did side work to earn extra cash. His wife oversaw things at home and even made time to organize an initiative that raised $100,000 for black churches in the South that were burned down a few years ago. She was among those honored at the White House by then-President Barack Obama.

“My days are busy, and so are hers,” Hall said. “We are making it happen day-by-day. Our kids have no idea the sacrifices their parents are making because they are too little to know. When life settles down and we settle into our careers, we will tell them stories of how it was for us.”