After graduating from Kingswood High School in 1992, he chose to further his education at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

At Marquette, he made life-long friends and was challenged to serve the voiceless. After graduating, Jim taught from 1996 to 2000, educating youth with Teach for America in inner city Phoenix, Arizona.

Jim was drawn to writing and completed a Master of Fine Arts program in writing with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2002.

While in Massachusetts, Jim helped educate unwed mothers so they could get their GEDs.

Later, in Chicago, he taught English to inmates of the Cook County jail.

By becoming a conflict journalist, Jim was able to merge his interest in writing with his compassion for the poor, disadvantaged, and suffering amid conflict.

Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois granted him this opportunity.