By Xhaxany Cuellar, Assistant editor
Dr. James West, professor and instructor of forensics and debate at UMHB, has quite an interesting back story. Dr. West lived in Hawaii for years and opened up not one, but two IHOPS on the shores of Maui. He traveled to Ecuador, Cambodia, and India as a study-abroad teacher to bring education to developing nations and once faced a standoff with a pack of wild monkeys in the mountains of Cambodia.
He has always wanted to teach at a Christian university where he can share his faith in the classroom and speak on God's love to lead people on a path with their relationship with Jesus.
During his early years as a professor, Dr. West was the first person to do his student teaching at Ohio's maximum security prison in Lucasville.
“All of my students I was teaching were murderers, drug kingpins, robbers and rapists,” West explained.
His first classroom consisted of inmates on death row, some of whom received life sentences. He describes the first time he walked into his class as the inmates shouting “Who the hell are you that you think you can teach us?” in protest of the change.
Dr West navigated the challenges by helping the inmates understand he was there to help them understand the topics, so they could receive college credits and shape their education behind bars.
