Before him, his grandfather and his mother attended the school. Leo’s family immigrated to the United States from Saint Petersburg after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"My grandfather still has his Touro ID card," said Leo. "It looks very different from the cards they use now. It’s just a laminated piece of paper with his picture on it." In the 1990s, Leo’s grandfather attended some English language classes at the college.

Leo was born in New York. He grew up in Brooklyn, and when the time came to choose a college to attend, he honored the family tradition. "My mother, who attended a pre-speech pathology program at Touro, had a great experience at the school," he said. "That’s one of the reasons why I decided to go to Touro, as well."

As a student of Touro’s NYSCAS, he wasted no time; he even managed to graduate early, attaining his bachelor’s degree in less than three years. "Each semester, I took as many classes as possible, so that I could graduate early."

At first, Leo thought he wanted to pursue a career in the health sector, but after interning at a law firm in Brooklyn, he decided he wanted to become a lawyer. That same firm offered him a job as Legal Researcher and Assistant after he completed his internship; he worked part-time while attending NYSCAS on a full-time schedule for most of the time he was a student at Touro.

"NYSCAS helped me tremendously," Leo said. "There were a few advisors and professors, like Vladimir Shapiro (the Director of Academic Support Services) who were helpful and knowledgeable; he connected me with some great professors, like Professor Tom Rozinski."

Leo graduated from NYSCAS in 2017 and his sister is now a student here.

When he applied to law schools, Leo got offers from several of them; he ended up choosing Brooklyn Law School, because of the generous scholarship he received and because he plans to stay in New York City in the near future. "I’m very happy with my decision," he said. He is currently in his third and final year at the school.

"My advice is to speak to your advisors. Touro provides excellent advisors, who can connect you with the professors and help you make your schedule work for you," he said. "My story would have been impossible had I attended a different college; there’s no other school where I could have gotten such great advisors and could have worked part-time while pursuing my education. I’m very thankful to NYSCAS."