COLUMBUS (WCMH) – For Randy Osborn, teaching is not just a job. It’s a calling.

“I love the students,” said Osborn. “I love when the light bulbs go off. I love it when they realize they can do something they thought was impossible for them. I love seeing them be successful in life.”

For 18 years, Osborn has walked the halls at Linden-McKinley High School. These days, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But that wasn’t always the case.

“I moved to Columbus to go into business about 36 years ago,” explains Osborn. “My business was during the evenings mostly. So I got a little bored and read in the newspaper that America is failing in math and science. Well I’m like that’s not appropriate. So I decided to do something useful and worthwhile and help folks in the daytime.”

Now the former wrestling national champion is a champion for his students, pouring all of his energy and passion into making science exciting and easy to understand.

“He draws you in as far as being family to him so everything is energetic. He’s my ‘cousin’. Just everything is family oriented. He makes everything memorable,” said former student Shaneesa Hutchins.

“You just never know what anyone is going through at home or at school or during the day or their emotions are up-and-down. It’s nice to have somebody you can trust,” said former student Terra Weatherspoon.

That includes trusting your life to him. For four years, Osborn has been a nurse, another profession he found himself called to.

“I like to be busy. Like to help people. Like to be learning. Always want to be learning,” said Osborn.

And his nursing skills were needed last October, when he helped treat a gunshot wound of a young man, shot outside of the school.

“When I finished nursing school, I got a letter asking me to go to medical school and I thought now I can’t do that. I can’t leave these kids. I’m really happy to continue to work at Linden,” said Osborn. “I’m going to have a hard time retiring. About four years from now theoretically I would retire but we’ll see”