One Family, Two Schools

Their family kept Claudia moving.

“Becoming a mom gives you this strength that you just didn’t know you had,” she said. “He pushed me through even when I thought I couldn’t do it, especially when I was at my weakest.”

Graduating on the same day was never the plan. It happened because they refused to fall out of step with each other.

The years between enrollment and that stage required a rock-solid partnership. Together, they balanced clinicals, exams, parenthood and medical complications.

When Leonid had board exams coming up, Claudia took their daughter for the weekend so he could study. When Claudia needed him, he returned the favor.

“It’s all teamwork,” Claudia said. “I look up to him. He looks up to me.”

This summer, Claudia completed her final clinical requirement and took the NCLEX exam for nurse licensure. Leonid has joined Connor Family Dentistry in West El Paso.

Both were trained here.

Both are staying here.

Their shared campus gave them something else, too: lunch together. Some days that meant a walk followed by a conversation about a failed exam, a rough clinical, or their toddler waiting at home.

“We’re both doing hard things, so we get to encourage each other at the same time,” Leonid said. “It’s nice to go through the highs and lows together.”