Leigh grew up in Dallas, attending Highland Park High School before going on to Vanderbilt for college. Ross is originally from Boston and studied at Colgate. The two met in Tennessee while Leigh was in graduate school and Ross was working. After getting married, they moved to Boston for seven and a half years and had two children. In 2011, they decided to relocate to Dallas to be closer to Leigh’s family, and in 2013, their third child was born.
They loved the Park Cities, so the choice to move to the area was easy. “When we moved here, we were able to meet friends so quickly,” Ross said. “There is an abundance of good people who look out for each other. Everyone is connected, and there’s always something fun to do.”
While raising their three kids, Carter, Ashley, and Campbell, Leigh worked as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Ross worked in strategy and operations consulting. Then in 2020, a local client Ross was serving wanted to develop a joint venture in Dubai, and Ross helped negotiate the deal. When the opportunity arose for Ross to continue helping in Dubai, Leigh was excited to go, but their kids—then ages 12, 10, and 8—were more hesitant. Despite some initial reluctance, they packed up and began an adventure that was supposed to last two years. However, when Ross’s assignment ended, they chose to stay an extra year. By then, their son was about to start high school, so they decided it was time to return to Highland Park—and they even moved back into their same home.
While in Dubai, the children attended Dubai American Academy (DAA), where they interacted daily with classmates and teammates from around the world. “By the end, the kids were quite happy,” Leigh said, “and the girls especially had a tough time leaving.”
During their time in Dubai, the Pattens were able to visit many remarkable places. They went on an African safari in Tanzania, visited the pyramids in Egypt, and took a trip to Jordan, where they experienced Petra, one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. In total, they visited 18 countries. “The people of Jordan were fantastic and very welcoming, and the terrain was fascinating. It was one of our favorite places,” Ross said.
Their children also had the chance to travel internationally on their own with their school. Carter went to Nepal one year and Finland the next, while Ashley took a trip to Sri Lanka. Because of Ashley’s soccer schedule, they traveled to tournaments in Singapore, Qatar, and Sweden, as well.
While the travel opportunities were wonderful for the Pattens, Dubai had a lot to offer as well. One of their most favorite things to do was to have weekend barbecues in the Dubai deserts with friends.
Leigh shared, “It was tough to move, but we felt it was a good shakeup for our family during COVID. We’re proud of the kids’ resiliency and ultimately their willingness to meet new people and try new things.”
Since returning from Dubai in late June, the family has enjoyed getting back to some of their old routines. “We’ve had a great time reconnecting with our family and old friends,” Leigh said. “Since the kids are in different schools from before, they are also meeting new friends from around the community, which is great”
Carter is playing football and running track at the high school, Ashley continues to play competitive soccer, and Campbell is a dancer.
Back in the United States, the Pattens enjoy visiting Colorado for ski trips, where Leigh’s parents have a home. Now, they hope to explore skiing in Europe and have plans to travel there this summer to reconnect with friends they met in Dubai. “We want to continue to expand our horizons, and the kids have global relationships they want to maintain,” Leigh said.
Faith plays a significant role in the Pattens’ lives. They attend Highland Park United Methodist Church, where Ross and Leigh were married. “Moving to a Muslim country, we didn’t know what to expect regarding religion,” Leigh said. “We really wanted the kids to continue going to church, and we ended up finding Fellowship Dubai which quickly became our church home. We met some wonderful people with whom we could continue to celebrate Christian celebrations like Christmas and Easter.” According to Leigh, churches in Dubai need to secure periodic approval to maintain operation and usually operate out of hotels or empty office buildings as they currently cannot be standalone buildings. During their time abroad, the Pattens’ faith grew stronger, and they were fortunate to visit the location where Jesus was baptized.
“Our time in Dubai was a fantastic experience, and we were exposed to so many other cultures,” Ross said. “We feel there are a lot of preconceived notions about the Middle East that aren’t accurate. The culture is very different, but everyone was so welcoming, and they enjoyed teaching us about their lives and learning about ours.”
“Even with such a positive experience, our plan all along was to come back to the Park Cities, a place we’re happy to call home.”