Loma Linda University Celebrates Class of 2015

In a second round of ceremonies last weekend, Loma Linda University celebrated its class of 2015 and sent them off into the world with pomp and circumstance. On Saturday, June 14, the commencement ceremonies for five University schools - the schools of Allied Health Professions, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Religion and Nursing - were all observed at the Drayson Center's Opsahl gym, with a Focus on Graduates program held at the Loma Linda University Church last Friday evening. A prior set of graduation ceremonies for students at the schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Pharmacy took place the weekend of May 22 through 24. This year's students were part of the university's 108th graduating class with 1,569 graduates, and the ceremonies showcased their service experiences while studying at LLU. Special speakers included James Rafferty, senior pastor of the Cascade Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bend, Oregon, and vice president of Light Bearers Ministry, at the School of Allied Health Professions commencements; Donald G. King, DrPH, MA, president of the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, at the School of Public Health commencement; Paul Wangai Jr, MBChB, PhD, expert in international health, HIV/AIDS, maternal-child health, environmental health and nutrition, at the School of Behavioral Health and School of Religion commencement; and Katia Reinert, PhD, MS, family nurse practitioner and public health clinical nurse specialist, at the School of Nursing commencement. Loma Linda University President Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, moderated a panel interview, along with a candlelight ceremony led by Provost Ronald Carter, PhD, and the school deans. "I am proud of the achievements of the Class of 2015," said Hart. In a post on the LLU website titled "Notes from the President" and dated June 2015, Hart wrote, "Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some are looking for a way up and out of the poverty and turmoil of their past. Others are looking to give back and actively seek out difficult working environments, here and abroad, as part of living their dream of service. These two groups have been rubbing elbows with each other in the classrooms and clinics, developing unlikely friendships that often survive great differences. Watching them support, hug, and cry with each other as they part is a moving scene each graduation season." Hart remarked on the diversity of the campus, with about 10 percent of the student body hailing from 90 different countries. "They bring a rich diversity to the classroom discussions and campus activities. We value the exposure their presence gives to our other students who better understand a global perspective and the cultural differences that often separate us," said Hart. He also credited the more than 200 physicians each July who complete their medical residencies in several specialty areas and begin to practice. About 700 of these residents work in the LLU Health network each year, said Hart, gaining training in a crucial final step to prepare them for their medical careers, he said. "We consider them alumni as well as our regular graduates and are proud of their accomplishments," Hart said.