Alumni Profile: Renee Lick ’00

Renee Lick always knew deep down that she wanted to give herself to helping others, but like many students struggling with questions regarding the future, she wasn’t sure how she could apply her energy and skills—that is, until her sophomore year at Hope.

“The summer after my sophomore year,” she explains, “I did an internship with a nurse practitioner who worked in a neighborhood clinic within a Salvation Army center. I was amazed by the way she saw the whole of her patients’ lives. I spent a lot of time praying about my decision that summer.”

It became clear to Renee that Hope’s nursing program was where she should be. Her senior year, Renee co-led a medical mission trip to Ecuador, an experience that opened her eyes to see the wide scope of possibilities for service as a nurse.

“I remember telling God that the spring break week was a week that I was giving over totally to Him, and I was willing to go and do whatever he asked of me.” Along with these blessings, Renee found nursing a challenging pursuit, requiring a lot of support and encouragement from her Hope community.

“There were times when my nursing advisor, Sue Dunn, had more confidence in me than I did in myself. I remember the first day that she asked me to take care of two patients at once. I told her I didn’t think I could do it. She told me that I could. Her confidence in me gave me courage.”

Renee was also bolstered by her fellow nursing majors.

“Most of my classmates and I thought that we would never make it through the program successfully. Yet, we studied together, encouraged one another and got together just to have fun along the way.”

It is this spirit of support and collaboration that Renee still values highly, even as she has since moved on from Hope.

“Working in nursing, you have to be able to work well with others — to work as a team and to truly help one another.” Now, Renee works with Nurses Christian Fellowship as the Student Ministries Director, encouraging nursing students across the U.S. to integrate their faith with their roles as nurses and to “live out their faith in all areas of their lives.”

“I’ve always thought, ‘Why couldn’t the rest of my life be like those Hope spring break mission trips? Couldn’t I serve God in the same way and live dependently on
Him all the time?’ This is something that I challenge students to ask themselves.”

This profile was written by Charlie A. Walter, a Hope College senior from Grand Rapids, Mich., for the 2010-11 Hope College Catalog.

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