To all who knew her, Reanna Hammad was a phenomenal and caring person. From every testimony at her prayer service, her peers and mentors were blown away by the hard work and brilliance she brought every day. 

On May 18, the DePaul nursing student was found dead in Spear Woods. The previous day she was reported missing by her mother. Police investigated and suspected no foul play. Her passing has left a deep mark on the DePaul community. 

Dean of the College of Health and Science, Stephanie Dance-Barnes, shared a statement about Hammad’s death. 

“Her passing has deeply affected our entire College of Science and Health community, especially those within the School of Nursing. We are heartbroken by this loss, and tomorrow’s prayer service will be an important moment of remembrance and unity,” Dance-Barnes said. 

DePaul’s Muslim Life held a prayer service for 21-year-old Hammad on May 21 at Cortelyou Commons. Her funeral was the day before at the Orland Park Mosque, which Hammad attended regularly. 

Abdul-Malik Ryan, DePaul’s assistant director of religious diversity and pastoral care, helped plan the event. After some readings from the Qur’an and moments of prayer, people were able to share memories they had of Hammad. 

“We felt it was important to provide an opportunity on campus for people to honor her memory and process our grief together,” Ryan said. “It was a powerful testimony to what is best about DePaul and what was best about Reanna, and a reminder of the preciousness of life and the gift of community.”

Hammad’s death had impacts beyond DePaul’s Muslim life and gathered different communities to mourn together. Natasha Shehade, Hammad’s clinical instructor last winter quarter, highlighted her warmhearted soul. In each quiver of Shehade’s voice, the deep love she held for Hammad could be heard. 

“Re was a great listener, gentle, kind and so, so smart. She was endlessly cool, calm and  collected and could hold her own in any room,” Shehade said. “She was such a sweet student and knew that she would’ve been such an incredible nurse.” 

Angel Burton, Hammad’s clinical professor during spring quarter, also touched on their time together. With a heavy heart, he reflected on her pure and true character. 

“From my limited time with Reanna, I saw someone with a quiet strength and kindness that offered a calming presence to those around her,” Burton said. “She was highly skilled and yet was very humble and soft-spoken about her abilities.”

Hammad was a force to be reckoned with during clinical rotations and continuously proved to be a stellar student, according to her instructors. They emphasized her dedication and deep care to her practice, and how it was apparent in everything she did. No feat of hers was easy, they said, but Hammad approached each task absolutely ready to tackle it.  

Shehade shared one particular memorable moment that came from a seasoned obstetrics nurse who had initially been reluctant to mentor Hammad. After working together though, the nurse privately shared that Hammad was the most exceptional nursing student she had ever encountered throughout her long career.

 “The compliment was one that was well-deserved and hard-won,” Shehade said. 

Those who didn’t know Hammad well connected with her through testimonies of her character. 

“As people learned more about her, I think they identified with many things about her, including her family and her tight ties to her mosque and the local Palestinian community, and her big goals for her future,” Ryan said.

As the service closed with tears of sorrow and warmth, those who knew and loved Hammad gathered to remember who she was to each of them. In tribute to her family, cards were left on tables, inviting attendees to share memories or messages of comfort.

“Re brought red velvet cake that she didn’t even like to our clinical group so that her classmates could enjoy it. She was so selfless and thoughtful,” Shehade said. 

In life and in loss, Reanna Hammad brought people together. From every memory shared, it was apparent the great love, deep compassion and lasting impact she left on everyone who knew her, and even those who didn’t have the chance to meet her. 

“To have different communities brought together in grief and in love for Reanna is a powerful tribute to the different spaces in which she lived and the many different lives she touched,” Ryan said. 

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