Loren Carcamo arrived at Kleberg Elementary School ready to pick up her daughter when an unexpected surprise happened-- her water broke.
The nurse's office quickly became a delivery room.
"In my head, I was panicking," said school nurse Tylar Krause. "I yelled out to the front office - 'please get me someone in here who's at least had a baby in their life' because I needed an extra set of hands."
When fifth-grade bilingual teacher Maria Perez entered the room, nurse Krause immediately knew things would be okay.
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A doctor in obstetrics and gynecology in Venezuela, Perez moved to Dallas to become a teacher two years ago.
After performing an exam, Perez realized Carcamo was not going to make it to the hospital on time so she stayed with her as she pushed through the contractions until the baby was delivered.
"Mrs. Perez was holding my hand, helping with everything. It was so easy," Carcamo said.
In January, Carcamo happily returned to Kleberg Elementary School, along with her newborn, to reunite with Perez Caraballo and take a photo together.
"I'm going to treasure this," Perez Caraballo said. "I came to this country, and I studied a lot to become a teacher, so it was like I said goodbye to those days in medicine. It was really amazing. I feel really happy to have had one more experience in this science area that I worked a lot in."
Perez Caraballo is being celebrated by the Kleberg community for her immediate response to the situation. Principal Amy Zbylut says she is thankful for the support that Perez Caraballo gives to her students and the Kleberg community.
"Ms. Perez goes beyond her classroom to support campus-wide initiatives and the community," Zbylut said. "As our debate team sponsor, she trains our students in public speaking, grace under pressure and critical thinking. She assists our campus with our diabetic students when the nurse is off campus, she assists with translating during parent meetings to create an inclusive environment and she participates in campus-wide community engagement events that strengthen school-community relationships."
The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
