Dr. Manny St. James and his wife, Hope Santiago, founded the Hope of St. James Medical Coding School in 1998. At the time, "Doc Manny" had been working at hospitals in both Lake Elsinore and Culver City, bringing his daily travel time to at least 4.5 hours per day. Hoping to find a way to spend more time with his family at home, Doc Manny and "Miss Hope" decided to open a school that would allow him to do so. His passion for teaching combined with Miss Hope's business savvy proved to be the perfect partnership for their new endeavor.

Teaching out of the garage at their home in Diamond Bar, the pair began with only a single student.  Manny continued to work his job at the hospital until the school had enough students to occupy his schedule full time. By 2000, Manny and Hope opened their first location in Covina, California. Over the next 18 years the school continued to expand and today, Hope of St. James Medical Coding School caters to 5 different locations: Covina, Cerritos, Corona, Glendale, and Tustin. Hope and Manny have helped thousands of students - many of whom still keep in touch to this day. Once you enter the doors to Hope of St. James, you become part of the family.