Vanier College is delighted to announce that Nursing teacher Melodie Hicks, has been selected as the 2024-2025 recipient of the Vanier College Teaching Excellence Award.
Melodie was chosen for this honor for a multitude of reasons, all of which reflect the award's core criteria: excellence in teaching, ability to foster and promote student success, and meaningful engagement and commitment within the Vanier community and beyond.
A true innovator in the classroom, Melodie blends rigorous academic standards with creativity and compassion. Her students consistently praise her ability to provide hands-on, personalized learning experiences, all while holding them to high expectations. She models problem-solving and creativity, as well as the tenacity that our students absolutely need to thrive.
Melodie's impact reaches far beyond her own courses. She has been instrumental in initiatives such as the annual Malawi Nursing Exchange and the Vanier Nursing Conferences, and her collaboration in the development of model projects in other technical programs at Vanier. Her influence is broad and lasting.
As one colleague put it, "Melodie possesses a rare combination of academic excellence, cultural humility, and deep compassion. Her commitment to teaching cultural competency is unwavering and deeply rooted in relevance to our diverse Montreal community. She challenges students to examine their own values and preconceptions, encouraging critical reflection that ultimately improves the quality of care they deliver. Her teaching goes far beyond the traditional classroom -- she brings nursing education to life through immersive, real-world experiences that students carry with them for years to come."
In summary, Melodie's passion for nursing, her dedication to teaching, and her unwavering support for her students and colleagues make her an exemplary educator. As one student beautifully expressed, "She teaches with her heart, and we are better for it. We can't think of anyone more deserving of this award."
"I am deeply moved and humbled to receive this award. I know so many of the previous winners and they are people I have looked up to and aspired to be like. Teaching has been more than I ever imagined. I love it and miss it and miss my students when I'm not here. Working on the Malawi Nursing Exchange has taken up half my career and led to so many changes. It has given me amazing joy. It has taken me outside of nursing and outside of the country. I've met and worked with amazing people and have become part of something larger than Nursing. I've learned about international development, cultural competency, Indigenous people, and developed friendships with the people of Malawi which is some ways has become a second home to me. I've been able to think outside the box, and develop something all with the support of the college and so many people and organizations I've worked with."
Melodie was celebrated at a reception for family, friends and colleagues, held at Vanier on September 19, 2025. Congratulations to Melodie Hicks on this well-earned recognition.
