In honor of National Siblings Day, meet CUW School of Nursing students Grace (’23) and Hope (’21) Sheedy, from Waukesha, WI.
How it started …
Hope: “In high school, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I was always fascinated by how the human body works and how that speaks to who God is and how creative He is. And I wanted to work with people and be able to love and serve them. When I started nursing classes at Concordia, that’s where I really found confirmation from the Lord that this is what I was supposed to be doing.”
Grace: “I also knew that I wanted to go into like a health profession. One of my biggest influencers is my uncle, and he was a nurse, and he just raved about it. And I remember how Hope always came home for breaks and raved about the professors at Concordia, and just how genuinely passionate they were about serving those around them, and being the hands and feet of Jesus as a nurse.”
How it’s going …
Hope: “It’s been a joy. It’s so rare for a university to actually act upon what they proclaim to be and stand for. At Concordia, they proclaim that this is a Christ-centered university and that’s what you experience when you’re here. I’m a Faith Associate on campus, so I work closely with Pastor Doug and Pastor Smith … the community that they’re able to cultivate is so special, and I’m so grateful to have had four years here.”
Grace: “Going to school with my sister has definitely been a plus, because I feel like a lot of times she has reassured me and helped me when I’ve had any questions. It’s just been really fun to get to grow with her like that.”
What they love about each other …
Hope: “The best thing about Grace is her kindness. And it’s evident that the reason she’s able to be so kind is the love that she’s received from the Father. It’s inspiring and it makes me want to love people better. I’m going to tear up!”
Grace: “I really admire about Hope’s ability to love people. And she is always one to tell you exactly what you need to hear. Like, ‘Grace, you can do this! Stop complaining about it, just go and do it!’ And I appreciate that.”
Biggest surprise about sharing a dorm suite in college …
Hope: “Grace and I shared a room growing up, and it was at a time in our lives when we did not get along. So now it just blows my mom’s mind that we chose to live together! We love it and enjoy it, and I’m going to miss it.”
Extended family ties …
Hope: “We have two other siblings, an older sister [Faith] and a younger brother [Loyal]. Faith went to Abilene Christian University and soon she’ll be graduating from Southern Methodist University with a graduate degree in theology.”
Grace: “Our brother is 17, he’ll be a senior next year. We love him a lot, he’s the baby! And he’s so lucky to have three older sisters!”
Hope: “Well, maybe someday he’ll be thankful!”
To learn more about the School of Nursing at Concordia University Wisconsin, visit cuw.edu.
— This story is written by Mike Zimmerman, corporate communications manager for Concordia University Wisconsin. He may be reached at michael.zimmerman@cuw.edu or 262-243-4380.
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