Walking the Talk: Cyber Leader Jim West Goes From Foster Care to WGU Commencement Speaker and Graduate
Jim West, center stage speaking at the podium, addressing the 2026 Western Governors University Graduates, Atlanta, GA
Jim West, center stage speaking at the podium, addressing the 2026 Western Governors University Graduates, Atlanta, GA
From left, Scott Pulsipher, WGU President; Jim West, M.S. 2026 in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.
After 35 years in cybersecurity, West finished two degrees while overseas, taking on a challenge from his daughters
West’s path to that stage was anything but traditional. He grew up in a foster home in central Louisiana and was on his own by 16. He taught himself IT, and by 21 he was managing an IT team at a Louisiana chemical plant. His career went on to span Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, and more than 110 countries. Over 35 years he became a multi-domain cybersecurity leader, supported military missions worldwide, and earned more than 100 certifications, including the CISSP with all three concentrations (ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP), CISM, C|CISO, and PMP. In 2026 he was named Cyber Security Advocate of the Year.
The one thing he hadn’t finished was a degree.
West raised his two daughters, Mya and Tia, as a single father for 17 years. In 2024, they pointed out that they would both hold degrees and he never had. “That hit me hard,” West told the audience. “I couldn’t just tell them what perseverance looked like. I had to show them.”
West chose WGU for its competency-based model, which let him build on decades of experience and study at his own pace. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2024 while supporting U.S. military operations in the Middle East. He went straight into the master’s program and finished it in May 2026, while working in Kuwait during the recent conflict with Iran.
“When people talk about working under pressure,” West said, “I usually say, ‘Well, I did submit assignments during missile alerts, so I may have taken that phrase a little too seriously.’”
He told fellow graduates that their degree is “proof you can adapt, sacrifice, and keep going when quitting would have been easier.” He credited his wife, Michelle, as his biggest supporter: “Without her support, I would not be standing here today.”
West closed with a charge to the class of 2026: “Keep becoming the example someone else needs to see. Stay curious, keep leading, and always be a perpetual student.”
About Jim West
Jim West is a cybersecurity executive, author, speaker, and the founder and CEO of TopCyberPro.com. He brings more than 35 years of IT and cybersecurity experience across commercial and U.S. defense environments worldwide. His work has appeared in the ISACA Journal, and his “Beyond the CIA Triad” security model has been presented to professional audiences internationally. He holds a B.S. (2024) and an M.S. (2026) in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.
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Full Ceremony of 2026 WGU Commencement in Atlanta. GA
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