When Ryder Collins first spied his future bride on a bus in Southern California, he knew she was the one. After saying to her, “Thank you for the beautiful smile,” he was certain he’d find her again and he did, six months later.

What he couldn’t have foreseen was one day sharing the same career path with his wife, Rachael, and their graduation this spring from the Yavapai College Nursing Program.

The couple’s first encounter on the bus more than a decade ago precipitated a journey that culminated in a celebration marked by “decompression,” a walk around the Prescott Courthouse Square and the arrival of full-time employment opportunities.

There was also relief that the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t extended their graduation date.

“Everything had been so up in the air,” Rachael said, explaining that YC Nursing Director Dr.  Marylou Mercado and faculty members went to great lengths to make it possible for nursing students to finish the spring semester online. “They got very creative… It was wonderful.”

Rachael and Ryder’s shared road to nursing school was long and circuitous, starting just a month after their chance second meeting when they decided they belonged together and abruptly moved to Sedona. There they both took some classes at the YC Verde Valley campus, but their interest waned. They eventually left school and moved to Oregon where Ryder got his EMT certification and worked for a time as a first responder. Rachael continued a long, enjoyable stretch in coffee retail in Oregon. A  yearning for more fulfilling work struck them almost simultaneously.

“I realized that I didn’t like sitting on my butt all day in an ambulance. I realized that the nurses in the hospital got to do all the cool stuff and have the interaction with people that I wanted,” Ryder said.

Rachael, meanwhile, recalled: “I had thought about going to nursing school a very long time, but the confidence hadn’t been there. When I was ready to do something different and having a little more belief in myself I said, OK, I’m ready. Let’s do it. Let’s dive in.”

Having previously attended YC, the Collinses were aware of the nursing program’s quality reputation and cost-effectiveness. So, while still in Oregon, they began corresponding with YC advisors and chipping away at prerequisites. In time they moved back to Arizona – to Prescott – and were tackling nursing prereqs in earnest.

From day one they found themselves side-by-side in the same classrooms. “We had one set of textbooks. We studied together. It’s been that way for four years,” Ryder said.

Although their shared journey was not always blissful, the pair built a solid foundation of communication and support that helped them grow as a couple, as individuals and as students.

“My capacity to grow and to flourish and to overcome challenges is so much more than I thought it was,” Ryder said. Rachael added, “I am mindful of and carry with me that perception that I can do it. I can do things that are difficult.”

While the Collinses are on the fence about recommending couples test their union in a nursing school trial, they’re certain their partnership was key to their individual success. Without Rachael, Ryder said, “I think (nursing school) would have been harder. I don’t know if I would have made it.”

For her part, Rachael said she and Ryder never wavered in their shared commitments, although each harbored thoughts of quitting from time to time. “I would have a moment that I didn’t believe in myself,” Rachael said. “But either I would give myself a pep talk or Ryder would give me a pep talk or a kick in the butt. It was nice having a cheerleader and a drill sergeant there to help.”

Exasperated early on by the time spent studying, the Collinses adopted a white board with the affirmation, “We have all the time we need.” They also carved out time for leisure pursuits like yoga, hiking and reading. “Taking a least an hour to do something not related to school”  was a paramount for our wellbeing, Rachael said. “It felt like a gamble, but it felt like a necessary gamble. Our grades stayed the same if not got better. It was a really good lesson that I carried with me through nursing school.”

The Collins’ prescription for nursing school survival as a couple paid off in academic success and Ryder acing his state board exam. Rachael takes the exam in June and as such, has more studying to do. “It’s kind of  nice to review the material and see that two years ago I didn’t know any of this and look what I know now.”

Rachael and Ryder thanked YC instructors for playing “pivotal roles” in their success. Singling out Professor David Gorman, whom they call “the patron saint of math,” and Business and Computer Science Professor Paul Evans, Ryder said they and others are among his all-time favorite teachers. Added Rachael, “There are so many instructors and faculty members and advisors who are clearly so passionate about what they do.”

Along with new frontline jobs – Ryder with Pronghorn Psychiatric and Rachael at Yavapai Regional Medical Center West – the Collinses are contemplating more education, just not anytime soon. For now they are content to stay in Prescott, a community they have grown to love, and settle into their professional lives – together.

“The coolest thing for me is when we first started dating 10 years ago, we made a commitment to support each other as much as we could in growing, with absolutely no regrets. It’s so fulfilling and exciting to get to witness that growth for both of us,” Rachael said.