Danielle Newcombe was honored as this year’s Loma Linda University President’s Award recipient for the School of Allied Health Professions. The award was presented to her at the SAHP commencement on June 10 for her high scholastic achievement and service in the student community. Teachers and peers said Newcombe exemplifies the spirit of Loma Linda University and the highest ideals of the allied health professions.

Newcombe entered the Transitional Masters of Science (TMS) program in 2015 after completing a bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in public relations from California State University, San Bernardino. She then came to Loma Linda University to earn a Masters of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Newcombe has always assumed a healthy lifestyle philosophy. In college, she was a varsity athlete in volleyball, becoming captain of the women’s volleyball team in her senior year. She was also a personal trainer. It was during her personal training years that she learned to set goals for her clients and celebrate even the smallest progress toward those goals. She easily associated this process with the treatment process for speech-language pathology.

Newcombe also embraced making a difference through service. As a college freshman, she participated in an elementary school outreach program working with underrepresented children in San Bernardino public schools. This experience gave her an intimate perspective of how it feels to live with a disability, she said.

The event which had the biggest impact on her was her participation in the CMSD Department China Mission Trip, she said. She was among eight students who were chosen to go to Zhejiang University Children’s Hospital, located in Hangzhou, China. She and seven classmates were trained and commissioned to provide training and education workshops to hospital staff, doctors and clinicians.

As a graduate student, Newcombe maintained a 4.0 GPA. “She is an intelligent, open-hearted student, exemplifying excellence in academics, professional involvement, and community service,” said the selection committee. “This award affirms that Danielle’s life is a remarkable example of Loma Linda’s mission to further the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”