How might her life have been different without Creighton?

How might her life have been different without Creighton?  

“I can’t know for certain how, but it is still important to me to reflect on this,” says Glenda Gill Chang, BSN’74. “It is daunting to think about how my life would have turned out, without financial support from my parents for my undergraduate degree and the other grants I received for graduate school.” 

To help make the Creighton nursing experience possible for passionate students in need, Chang established the Chang Nursing Endowed Scholarship.  

“I think, ‘Let's give others a chance,’” Chang says. “I’m overwhelmed by the cost of getting a college education these days. I want to help others who might not be able to attend college, to have the opportunity.” 

Chang grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, with three siblings. Chang’s mother and father, the late H. James Gill Jr. and Elsie Gill, valued higher education and put all four of their children through college.  

“I continue to have an appreciation for my parents, and all the others, who supported my education. I do know their assistance made a world of difference for me.” 

At an early age, Chang developed a special self-awareness and concern for others thanks to the role models in her life. Her mother was a Sunday school teacher and hospital volunteer who led drives to donate clothes to reservations in South Dakota and North Dakota. She recalls visits with her grandmother, who was a nurse, to her grandfather’s pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. Chang carries memories of them all to this day.  

“What I remember most about them is their care for others,” she says. “And I realize now, this is probably one of the reasons I went into nursing.” 

Chang graduated from the College of Nursing in 1974 and then attended graduate school at the University of Michigan. She found success in her professional career, first as a director of nursing, then as an in-home care nurse, followed by teaching. Chang then took on the role of stay-at-home parent to raise (along with her husband, Wai) three children. Today, the Changs are philanthropic supporters in their California community and graciously support their alma maters.  

At Creighton, the Chang Nursing Endowed Scholarship shapes a new generation of deeply skilled and service-minded professionals. This fall, nursing student Isabelle Chiu began her sophomore year  as a two-time recipient of the Chang scholarship.  

“The financial impact, of course, is so important and also that another person believes in me makes me feel really proud,” Chiu says.  

Chiu looks forward to the hands-on experience she will gain in Creighton’s nursing program. She is driven by Chang’s support.  

“It’s always been in my nature to help others  – it puts a smile on my face,” she says. “And it’s the care for others that drew me to nursing and to Creighton. I’m really grateful to Mrs. Chang for giving me the confidence and the motivation to tackle the challenges ahead to achieve the goals in my life.”