Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
It was the right thing to do, and it made financial sense. I couldn’t think of anything with more impact than knowing my dollars were matched for education.
When Becky Bianco’s grandson, Sid Kuljam, BSCHM’25, chose Creighton, she didn’t just drop him off at college, she and the family rolled in with a motorhome and hearts full of love. From day one, Becky carried a commitment to give back through scholarships.
Sid’s Creighton journey began on a frigid February visit. “He apparently set one foot on campus and decided this was his school,” Becky recalls.
When move-in day arrived in fall 2021, Becky and her husband turned the journey into a cross-country caravan, hauling Sid’s life 1,800 miles from Washington to Omaha in their motorhome, Jeep in tow.
“We were the designated U-Haul,” Becky laughs. One of her favorite memories is Sid simply standing there, watching the bustle of Bluejays unloading cars and soaking it all in.
Her first day on campus was a turning point for Becky, too. She felt the welcome, the energy, the sense of purpose — and she knew Sid was exactly where he belonged.
“It’s been a blessing for all of us,” she says. “I wish I could go back and attend Creighton. I wish I’d had that kind of support, that spiritual infilling.”
Inspired, Becky made a decision: to help other students experience the same opportunity. Using IRA charitable distributions, she funded two Ignatian Merit Scholarships. The University’s matching program sealed her choice.
“It was the right thing to do, and it made financial sense. I couldn’t think of anything with more impact than knowing my dollars were matched for education.”
Over the years, trips to Omaha became family traditions — RV picnics, soccer games, and dinners with a revolving door of Bluejay friends. Creighton shaped Sid, and it deepened Becky’s own sense of mission.
“What I hope scholarship recipients receive is more than aid,” she says. “That it lifts them — financially, educationally, spiritually — and that they understand the gift of being educated at Creighton.”
Today, Sid is a medical student in the School of Medicine, and Becky is one of Creighton’s strongest champions — both as a proud grandmother and as a donor. She beams as she recalls his years managing the men’s soccer team, excelling in the classroom, and even completing a 12-hour Ironman triathlon.
Now, as he dons his white coat, Becky says what makes her proudest is his sense of mission and purpose.
“It keeps him disciplined, focused, and intent every single day,” she says.
As the first in her family to attend college, Becky knows Creighton offers something unique: “Creighton teaches students to think about how they fit into the world. That’s taken me a lifetime to figure out.”
Becky looks to 2029 with joyful anticipation, eager for the moment she’ll watch Sid graduate from the School of Medicine. Whether he chooses orthopedics or pediatric thoracic surgery, Becky is confident he’s stepping into the calling he’s worked so hard to achieve.
“He has the curiosity and drive to thrive in whatever specialty he chooses. I couldn’t have asked for Creighton to be a better fit — for Sid or for our family.”
