Loma Linda University School of Dentistry celebrated at the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2026, bringing together graduates from the Doctor of Dental Surgery, Dental Hygiene, and Advanced Dental Education Programs, along with their families, faculty, and honored guests, to mark the close of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
Invocation was offered by faculty member Danielle Ellington, RDH, who reflected on the grace that brought each graduate to this milestone: years of discipline, perseverance, and purpose. She asked that God guide the graduates as they step into their calling, serving each patient with humility and dignity, finding clarity in moments of challenge, and gratitude in moments of success.
New LLU Provost Paul Herrmann, MD, PhD, presented the Distinguished Humanitarian Award to Peter Nelson, DDS’70 and Suzanne Nelson, DH’68, in recognition of their unwavering dedication to LLU's mission and legacy. Dr. Nelson served 50 years as a dentist and faculty member; Mrs. Nelson worked alongside him as a dental hygienist in their shared private practice. Together, they devoted their careers to patient care, mission service, and generosity, serving in more than 25 countries and supporting the LLUH mission financially for over 40 years.
Jason Lohr, MD, FAAFP, CTropMed, delivered the featured address on the three T’s he lives his life by: Trust, Tithe, and Thankfulness. Dr. Lohr drew from his first post-residency assignment in Nigeria, where his family spent five years navigating daily realities like six-hour power windows and an unreliable water supply. When tanks in neighboring homes ran dry, families walked a mile to collect water in small containers balanced on their heads. The Lohrs, still drawing from their own tank, chose to share.
"Sharing water when your own tank is running dry — that's trust," Dr. Lohr told the graduates. "You cannot fill your tank if you're not willing to trust that it can be filled. Trust that the source is real. Trust that giving doesn't mean losing. Trust the people around you. Trust the long arc of your life, and trust God."
What followed defied explanation. The Lohrs continued to give far beyond what their tank should have held, until the day they heard water rushing back in and discovered theirs was the only tank that had refilled. Nothing had been repaired. The tank was not just full; it was overflowing. Dr. Lohr called it what it was: a miracle — a sign to trust in what you cannot always see.
That moment never left him. He urged the graduates not to wait for the right moment to give, but to offer their time, talent, and skills freely — a kind of tithing rooted in the trust that the source will not run dry. He also called them to gratitude, reminding them that even the stressful days are blessings: the busyness means people need you, the long hours mean you are able to help, and the skills you carry place you among a rare few in the world who can.
Representing the graduating dental hygiene class, Jacey Jett, DH'26, reflected on the journey with warmth and gratitude. She recalled words shared by Shelley Hayton, MAT, BS’82, chair and associate professor, Dental Hygiene Department, during the class dedication: that these students were not here by accident, but hand-picked by God, chosen to thrive and become the clinicians they eventually became. "Thank you, God," Jacey said, "for providing the strength to endure hard circumstances and for the joy You give us in all the little moments."
DDS class speaker Chelsea Molato, DDS'26, addressed the audience with equal parts encouragement and emotion. She reminisced about the long clinic days, the self-doubt, the chaos. Things they could never have imagined shaping them as people and clinicians. She closed with characteristic generosity: "It truly takes a village to get here today. I want to thank our administration, faculty, patient care managers, central lab, patient coordinators, sterilization team, dental supply, PBO, janitorial, and all staff who made this journey possible and enjoyable." She looked ahead with confidence, certain her class would go on to do great things — with empathy, humility, and heart.
The culminating moment of the ceremony was the conferring of degrees and credentials. All 175 graduates received their degrees from Dean Robert Handysides, DDS'93, and President Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, joined by department heads for the Advanced Dental Education Program graduates.
Families and faculty surrounded their graduates as the ceremony came to a close, and the newest class of LLUSD professionals stepped into the careers they had worked so hard to obtain. Congratulations to the Class of 2026, the patients you will serve, the communities you will impact, and the profession you now represent are better for your dedication.