06/07/2026
Graduation season is here, and over the coming days we're sharing stories from some of the remarkable individuals crossing the stage this year—in their own words, shaped by resilience, purpose, and faith. We're so proud of each and every one. 🎓
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Anne Leah Digman Guía, SBH Class of 2026
My aunts who raised me have master's degrees, and they would tell me stories about their projects and their educational experiences in the Philippines, in New Zealand, and in the United States. Some of their stories, I only just found out about last month!
I wanted to have stories like theirs.
Here's my story:
10 hours a week
9 supervisors and preceptors
8 glasses of water
7th day Sabbath—aka rest
6 categories of wholeness—and the many wholeness journal entries
5 years of graduate school
4 internships—advanced generalist and clinical
3 scary hospital visits
2 post-baccalaureate post-master's certificates
1 master's degree
The seemingly random points about drinking water, resting, and hospital visits only allude to the importance of self-care and what that looks like for you. Because of my own stubbornness and anxieties, I've had three scary hospital visits, one of which landed me on the operating table. My colleague and friend Jesus Vargas-Lopez shared in our last course together to not wait to rest after graduation—rest during the program because burnout is real. I agree—I experienced burnout, and my body forced me to stop and reevaluate all that I was doing.
I knew from the first prayer that Professor Christi Bell prayed from the Prayer of St. Francis at Orientation, a song I sang with the La Sierra Chamber Singers for years, that God wanted me in this program for a reason.
As a third-generation Adventist, it was my dream to be able to study at Loma Linda. My dream has come true. Soon, I will graduate. As a practicing Seventh-day Adventist, resting on the Sabbath from all schoolwork, which was really closer to 48 hours, helped me remember to balance all that I had to do while in graduate school.
Years ago when I was teaching, a little boy and his hospital experiences motivated me to enter a different type of classroom—graduate school. Now I've had my own hospital experiences that have paralleled the importance of wholeness and wellness.
I came into the program not wanting to work with adults, but the adults who want to change have been one of my favorite populations to work with. I've learned to enjoy policies, social justice, macro and mezzo social work. I came into the program wanting to learn more about children and families, and I came out learning more about myself.
I've learned so much about myself, my family, my own professional social work practice, and how to support the people who need the most support, while learning more and more on how to not neglect my own needs.
God led to this program, and God will continue to guide me after graduation. I can't wait to see what adventures He has in store for me next.
I can finally say:
Clinician: Anne Leah Digman Guía, MSW.
Advice for future students: have a good support system, take rest days, do what you need to do, and know your signs of burnout. Especially if you're doing the online program, know your limits. If you don't know your limits, your professors might recommend a break to regroup, or your body might force you into a break, like what happened with me. Balance work, family, relationships, internships, class, homework and studying carefully.
