Born and raised in Hazlet, New Jersey, James Papcun knew he had a purpose in education. Papcun has been teaching and leaving his mark on New Jersey since 2009. Papcun started off as a teacher in a school called Coastal Learning Center, a school for children with behavioral issues where he coached football. Before he decided to become a teacher, he worked as a stock broker on Wall Street.

 He played football from middle school to college earning the title of varsity athlete. After high school, he went to Pace University in New York, where he studied accounting and financing. Due to the 2008 recession, Papcun lost his job on Wall Street and decided to become a teacher and got certified. Around this time, his friend introduced Papcun to the role where he fell in love with teaching. 

“So I took the job working in that school, it allowed me to coach football, and then I realized that that’s what I wanted to do,” Papcun said.

Papcun did not hesitate when making a comfortable environment within his office. You see remnants of his love of football. When you pass by, you can see tiny football helmets in a glass box. 

This year is Papcun’s first school year in a non-teaching role. He hopes that at UACHS he can make an impact on the school and make it a better environment.  

  “Now that I’m here, I really hope that when you guys graduate, that you’re going to look back and it was a positive experience in this building because I influenced it to be positive,” said Papcun.