Nicole Hopman 

Nicole Hopman is the founder and president of Joy4Life, a nonprofit she created in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to bring comfort and connection to children with serious illnesses. What began as a gesture of empathy—hand-delivering handcrafted stuffed animals—has grown into a broader mission: to build a therapeutic ranch where children and adults can find purpose, healing, and community.

A lifelong philanthropist, Nicole has volunteered for over a decade teaching children in wheelchairs how to play tennis, combining athleticism with empathy and joy. She is also the founder of Élyssora, a boutique instruction service offering elite tennis coaching, classical piano lessons, and private language tutoring in French and Japanese. In addition, Nicole serves as an educator at her alma mater, the French International School, where her love of language, culture, and service first took root.

Nicole holds a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Marquette University, where she competed as a Division 1 tennis player and conducted neuroscience research focused on psychiatric disorders—specifically investigating mechanisms underlying Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and addiction. A classically trained pianist and fluent in English, Japanese, French, and Spanish, she brings both scientific depth and artistic soul to everything she does.

Driven by compassion, curiosity, and conviction, Nicole Hopman is building a life—and a legacy—defined by purpose.