Zack Wiggins ’25 sometimes worked four jobs a semester to earn enough money to attend UNC Greensboro’s School of Nursing. As he inched closer to achieving his dream of becoming a registered nurse, he suddenly realized he did not have enough money for his senior-year tuition.
Then good news arrived. The Tom and Paula Dille Support Fund was available to keep him on track to commencement. Thanks to the Dilles’ generosity, Wiggins graduated in May 2025, passed his North Carolina Licensure exam in June, and began working full time as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Alamance Regional Hospital in Burlington, N.C., in July.
“Without this fund, I couldn’t afford to finish school,” he says. “I am so grateful to the Dilles because there was no way I could pay for it on my own. You can have the best grades, but if you can’t afford to go to school, it’s a struggle. This fund was life-changing for me.”
Thuy Ka ’24 is similarly supported by the fund and agrees with Wiggins. After earning her bachelor’s, she was chosen for the school’s initial prelicensure master’s class, which is the first in the UNC System. UNCG’s rigorous nursing programs are designed to graduate licensed, practice-ready nurses quickly, so focusing on her studies has been key. “This fund is exciting because a financial burden has been lifted off me. It’s powerful because it’s something I can turn into something bigger. It’s humbling because not everyone gets the fantastic opportunity I’ve been given, because somebody saw me as someone who can help others. That’s powerful, and I am so grateful and want to pay it forward myself someday.”
Fellow prelicensure master’s student Lyndsey Dark ’24 concurs. “This fund is helping me focus entirely on school, which is excellent because our program is relentless, just like real life. The most significant impact on me is the opportunity to focus on my studies rather than worry about things outside of school, which is remarkable. I am so grateful.”
Dean Barksdale, current president of the American Academy of Nursing, sees what her students need to succeed. As a first-generation college graduate, she knows the challenges they face in achieving their dreams. She told the Dilles about these challenges when they met to discuss creating a scholarship for incoming first-year students at the school. She told them about students with stellar academic records who struggle to stay in school.
Scholarship students themselves, the Dilles have funded scholarship endowments at each of their alma maters for the past 50 years. Since 2004, they have also supported an education fund for women in Angola and searched for ways to help others when they moved to Greensboro in 2023.
“We asked our primary doctor to recommend nursing programs we could support to help reduce the current nursing shortage,” Paula Dille said. “He highly recommended UNCG’s school.”
Tom Dille said, “We learned from Dean Barksdale that helping people stay in nursing school is key, especially since most UNCG nursing graduates remain in the area, and we’re happy to help these students succeed.”
Dean Barksdale says the Dilles’ commitment to giving back is profound. “Donors like the Dilles are vital, particularly at UNCG, where our student body is largely first-generation students who may have fewer resources. These students have the passion and ability to become nurses, but sometimes just a little bit of money is what’s separating them from realizing their dream. I always tell them just to remember to pay it forward when they are able because people like the Dilles helped them complete their education, and oh, what a blessing they are.”
The Tom and Paula Dille Student Support Fund was part of UNCG’s Light the Way: The Campaign for Earned Achievement, with the goals of increasing access, elevating academic excellence, and enhancing the tremendous impact of UNCG’s programs.
Story by Jo Carol Torrez, Advancement Communications
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
