On June 13, a group of recent graduates from Loma Linda University School of Nursing’s Off-campus MS in Nursing Education program visited the Global Health Institute and School of Nursing leadership. The gathering included a luncheon and time for reflection with Dr. Anne Berit Petersen, Director of Global Nursing; Dr. Shawn B. Collins, Dean of the School of Nursing; Dr. Jan M. Nick, Program Director; and members of the GHI team.
The visiting alumni—Kun Zheng (Children’s Hospital, China), Haitao Jiao and Xiaoping Ouyang (SRRSH, China), Panpan Peng (China), and Maydi Diaz Perez (Mexico)—celebrated their recent graduations and shared updates on their continued work as global nurse leaders.
These graduates were part of the fifth and largest cohort of LLUSN’s Off-campus MS in Nursing Education program, which began in 2020 in response to the global need for advanced education among Seventh-day Adventist nurses. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, 44 students from 14 countries completed a rigorous blend of online learning and annual in-person sessions at Asia-Pacific International University (AIU) in Thailand.
For Maydi Diaz Perez, the journey to LLU began years earlier while serving as a missionary nurse in Angola, where she worked for eight years alongside her family. “Most master’s programs required in-person attendance, and in Angola, there were no graduate schools,” she said. “When I learned about this program during a Global Health Conference, it felt like God was saying, ‘After all these years of service, here is your opportunity to study.’”
Throughout their studies, cohort members balanced academic work with frontline service as nurse educators, clinicians, and administrators across diverse health systems. “It didn’t matter where you were physically located,” Maydi reflected. “Our classroom felt like a family. We had amazing professors who not only taught us professionally but shared the love of Jesus.”
Dr. Nick, coordinator for this long-established legacy program, stated:
“We are immensely proud of their unwavering commitment to advancing their education despite huge global challenges during their tenure as students. They have already brought changes to their institutions and have elevated nursing practices worldwide.”
Now based in Mexico and preparing to return to Angola and Mozambique for another term of mission service in September 2025, Maydi shared how her education has transformed her professional outlook:
“LLU’s School of Nursing empowered me to be even more caring, compassionate, and professionally devoted to nursing. I’m already seeing the difference in how I lead and serve.”
The recent reunion was a reminder of the lasting impact of this unique global program—and the enduring connections it fosters. “Thank you to LLU for giving us wings to fly higher—to do our work with confidence and professionalism,” Maydi said.
Plans for the sixth cohort are currently in development.