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Royce West came to UTA in 1971 to play football, but he soon left the challenges of the gridiron for another playing field— campus politics. In 1974, he became the first African—American president of the Student Congress. "As I became more involved on campus, as opposed to being just an athlete, my eyes began to open up to the world around me," Sen. West said in a previous UTA Magazine interview. His strong desire to serve and to make a positive impact led him to study sociology, and he earned his bachelor's degree in 1974, followed by a master's in 1979. Then, he said, reality hit and "I discovered that the only way I could do anything about social problems was to become a lawyer, because you can change things in the courtroom." Sen. West earned his law degree from the University of Houston, then worked for several years in the Dallas County district attorney's office. He was the first African-American named chief felony prosecutor in Texas. He was elected to the Texas Senate in November 1992 and has served District 23, which covers parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties, since that time. He is also a senior partner with the Dallas law firm Robinson, West and Gooden, P.C. The senator has a long-term interest in Texas' higher education issues and was a powerful force behind the establishment of the University of North Texas System Center at Dallas. "Education is the key to success," he said. "The more knowledge you get, the better suited you are to deal with problems." Sen.
West is also concerned with Texas criminal justice issues and has long
supported providing historically underutilized businesses with increased
access to government contracts. "The only thing the world owes anyone
is an opportunity," he said. He has served on numerous boards and commissions,
including the board of directors of the Texas Defense Lawyers Association,
the Texas Criminal Justice Task Force and Dental Health Programs, Inc.
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