Digital Media grad Fiona Lin finds God’s provision in loss, joins VOP

Lin, age 21 and her brother, Gared, five years her junior, suffered the devastating loss several years ago of both of their parents within a short period - their father, Ping-Herng 'Denny' Lin, a La Sierra alumnus and a former assistant professor of computer science and senior programmer analyst passed away in 2016 at the age of 49 following a lengthy battle with cancer. Within three years the siblings also unexpectedly lost their mother, Eunice Lin, a longtime teacher at the Loma Linda Children's Center, who passed away suddenly in 2019 due to a cancerous condition. Fiona and Gared, while confronted with shock and grief following their mother's death and still reeling from the recent loss of their father, soon faced the anxiety-inducing challenge of securing a long-term home.

Behind the scenes, God plans were taking shape, however.

Aimee Leukert, a La Sierra University associate education professor, her husband Kristian Leukert, Loma Linda Academy's choral director, and their daughters Liana and Kayleigh, had been family acquaintances of the Lins through church and school activities. After the Lin children lost their mother, Aimee felt a soul urge to do more than provide the customary outreach during times of loss, to take a significant step in an unfamiliar direction. After a discussion, the Leukerts decided to offer their home and guardianship to Fiona and Gared who moved in several months later.

On Father's Day, June 16, 2024, Fiona, whose given Chinese name is Yung Chia, crossed the graduation stage on La Sierra's Founders' Green to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media-Design and Communication, graduating with cum laude honors. She traveled the following week to Colorado where she started a position as a producer and supervising editor for the Voice of Prophecy, an international Seventh-day Adventist Christian media ministry.

"I'm very excited," said Fiona two days before graduation. "It's been a roller coaster of four years. I was thinking about it and it's kind of symbolic because it's on Father's Day. My dad, he did work at La Sierra, and I remember when he passed, I was really sad that he wouldn't be able to be there for really big moments of my life. [And] I think it's a really special day for me, because I think it symbolizes a big accomplishment, but also in my mind I would be honoring what I think they [parents] wanted and they would be really, really proud."

Fiona was one of two students who were the first Digital Media graduates for the university's new slate of Digital Media programs. She started her college career majoring in communication and public relations but realized a passion was developing for art and design courses and later switched to the Digital Media option which provides track customization. As a member of the university Honors program, she completed an honors scholarship project consisting of a poetry photo book depicting California's iconic natural and urban scenery from Joshua Tree National Park to the Los Angeles skyline and freeways, and including La Sierra's unique campus flora.

As Fiona walked the stage to receive her diploma, the Leukerts, her brother Gared, her aunt, and her grandmother cheered her on.

"Fiona has juggled so much in the past four years - school and work and grief and loss. Seeing her march today is truly a testament to her hard work and resiliency, as well as God's providence," said Aimee Leukert. "We could not be any prouder."

College graduation also inspired in Fiona reflections and gratitude for the lifechanging intervention afforded over the past four years by the Leukerts and their caring home.

"It's meant the world, I don't know where I would have been without [the Leukerts] -- foster care or another family or something. I think, 'what would have happened?' I'm so, so thankful for them," she said. "It was a really good fit. This is literally God's work. We found the perfect family."

She and Gared transitioned into the Leukert family life in March 2020 where they discovered a parenting style that was similar to that of their own parents. Fiona recalled how the ubiquitous quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept through soon after her and Gared's move had provided a prime opportunity for the newly expanded family to get to know each other. They played games, cooked meals together, bonded and navigated their way around awkward nuances such as how the Lin children would address Aimee and Kristian - they settled on auntie and uncle.

For Fiona, while the past few years initially brought much pain and darkness, the encompassing support of the Leukert family and her broader community helped her focus on the future and find a path toward it while strengthening her faith.

Fiona's future dreams and goals focus on making a meaningful impact through her creativity and faith. At Voice of Prophecy, she serves as a producer for Discovery Mountain, a podcast where young listeners experience adventure, mystery, and, most importantly, deepen their relationship with Jesus.

"When they [parents] passed away, I was really doubting God. I was in such a dark place. Like why would he do this? Why? Why was this happening to me at such a young age?," Fiona said. "But I think over time, I think it strengthens my relationship with God and that you can find ways. You can see through other people how God loves you. And that really made my relationship stronger.

"Looking at my brother and seeing how he's grown since everything has happened and how much I have grown, and looking towards what I would want my end goal to be, I think that motivates me to keep on going and thinking this is what my parents would have wanted and just following that path," Fiona continued. "And then going back to the community aspect, how much support that we got, how many people were praying for us and how loved we felt, and just knowing that they would be supportive of us no matter what and really sticking to them whenever we needed help."

To those overwhelmed with life-altering circumstances, she says, "even though it's really hard, trust God, and trust your community. Find those that you can really depend on and that you can have meaningful conversations with and try to be an inspiration for others."

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