By Melissa Moore-Randall
Whether a win or a loss, Revere High School athletes can always count on Abdul Marah to greet them with a smile after each game or match. Born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, Abdul has worked for Revere Public School’s Transportation Department for almost a decade as a school bus driver. Often requested by many teams and coaches to transport them to away games and matches, Marah is proud of the strong relationships he has built with coaches and athletes.
Marah had a great childhood in Casablanca with his parents, three brothers and two sisters. He worked with his dad in the family grocery store after school. “I learned that there are two kinds of learning , the one I enjoy and the one I don’t.”
Abdul eventually went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Mohammed V University in Casablanca. It is one of the first modern universities in Morocco that was founded in 1957 by Mohammed V, the former King of Morocco.
Despite having a degree, it was difficult for Marah to get a good job. Soon after graduating, he applied for a U.S. Visa which was through a lottery system at the time. Finally, in 2006, he came to the United States and settled in Revere. “The U.S. is called the land of opportunity. I was looking for a better opportunity to improve my life,” said proud Moroccan-American Marah.
When he arrived in the United States, Abdul worked in a convenience store at night for 6 years. “I chose to work nights so I could go to school during the day to earn my hackney and school bus licenses in Boston. After I became a citizen in 2012, I brought my wife, Laila, from Morocco.” Laila currently works as a paraprofessional at Revere High School. That same year in April, Abdul was hired by Revere Public Schools doing the morning shift. After school and at night, he worked as a taxi driver for Boston Cab. In 2015, he became a full timer with RPS.
“We do our runs during school times including morning runs, door to door SPED runs, wheelchair runs, midday runs, early childhood runs, high school runs. and after school sports runs. I love to drive the sports and competition teams when they play against other schools. They are always so nice and respectful. Some of the teams, like cheerleading and the JROTC, request me to drive them when they have a competition. I am so proud of myself and the strong relationships I have built with Revere Public Schools, especially the athletes. I would like to thank everyone who helped me when I started working here including David Patch, Seth Novelsky, Denise Sena and my partner Cheryl Mei. I also want to thank my family and tell them I love them including my wife Laila and my kids Yasser 10, Yassmin 8, and Salma 2.”
RPS Assistant Director of Transportation, David Patch, only has high praise for Marah. “Abdul is a reliable and hard worker. He always has a smile on his face and is ready to help out whenever needed.”
Co-worker and fellow bus driver, Cheryl Mei, added, “Adbul is a wonderful man and family man who is honest and trustworthy. He is the best partner I have ever had. I call him my son because I really feel like he takes care of me like a son would and of course I am old enough to be his mother.”
