At the beginning of each fall quarter, our school family gathers in the Loma Linda University Church for our annual Convocation service. It is a time to reflect on the past, welcome our new students, and prepare for the future. Faculty members wear their academic regalia, dignifying the event and bringing out the diversity and strength of Loma Linda. We celebrate in song and liturgy our commitment to God and the miraculous history we have all inherited and share at this place.
In my Convocation remarks this year, I chose to focus on our plans for the new campus in San Bernardino. This new venture, for which we now own a 7¼-acre piece of land alongside the 215 freeway in the center of the city, will elevate health and educational opportunities for people living in this economically challenged city. While we are still working on the design and scope of the building, the enthusiasm in the community, and particularly in the public school system, is palpable. To recognize this growing relationship, I invited public school leaders to Convocation from the San Bernardino County school system and the City school system, as well as the principal from Indian Springs High School (ISHS), where we are focusing our initial collaboration efforts. Dale Marsden, the superintendent of the city school system, has led efforts to give his students job skills and is an articulate spokesman for their needs. Alan Kay is the ISHS principal, who brought six student leaders with him to Convocation.
These student leaders voted to dedicate their IHSH Annual to Loma Linda University this year in anticipation of the bright future they envision from this relationship. It was clear that the experience of watching our Convocation service, identifying with a church full of LLU students, and eating in the Faculty Dining Room afterwards will become a highlight of their year. According to Alan, they talked excitedly all the way home about how to share their experience with their school staff, their parent groups, and, especially, their fellow students.
I was surprised at how far back our relationship goes with the San Bernardino public schools. Dr. Julia White joined the Loma Linda faculty in 1905 and began the School of Nursing that November. In addition, she began giving lectures in neighboring homes about good nutrition and healthful living practices. By 1907, she had recruited Dr. Lillis Wood-Starr, who expanded the outreach program. Our records show that Dr. Wood-Starr was invited to lecture to the 2,500 students in the San Bernardino public school system in 1907, just two years after Loma Linda was founded! So we have a rich history we are building on.
My comments for Convocation focused on the difference between our Zip Code and our Genetic Code in influencing each person’s developmental trajectory. In the case of San Bernardino, where you are from—your Zip Code—can greatly limit your opportunities in life due to housing, social activities, schools, recreation, and relationships. Our goal must be to help these students realize the full potential of their Genetic Code, rather than be limited by their Zip Code. We have all watched individuals flourish when they get a chance to break free from their past and fully develop the intellectual gifts and energy God has given them.
Can Loma Linda effectively do this? Can a health-sciences university based on tough standards really reach out and help struggling high school students? Do we understand them enough? Will we be diverted from our mission, or is this our mission? I recently heard a talk from the nonprofit TED that said, “It is possible to love anyone, once you know their story.” I believe it is time we share our stories, to truly know the pain and heartache, the joys and triumphs, of those around us. It is time to call out the good in each other, to connect with the people of San Bernardino—truly our neighbors—in a way that develops the trust and confidence they need to succeed in the world.
My sense is that our campus family is ready for this challenge. Doug Havens and Marilyn Eggers are expanding our EXSEED program to help the health interest groups already forming in these high schools. Our faculty members are excited about this new frontier and are offering their assistance. Perhaps most important of all, our students get it—they want to use their time and energy to connect with their fellow students in San Bernardino. They will do this through mentoring, helping with schoolwork, teaching music, taking students on field trips, visiting in their homes, and becoming their friends. And be assured the blessings will be a two-way street, providing our students with both the treasure of friendship and the privilege of service.
Jackie Reyes came to our Convocation service this year. She grew up in east San Bernardino, near our SAC Health System Norton clinic, one of the poorest areas in the city. Jackie participated in our Community Kids Connection programs as a child, was mentored by our students, and found her goal in life. She is now a pre-med student on a full scholarship at Cal State San Bernardino. She is using her Genetic Code to the max. We believe we can repeat her story again and again.
