Meet Isabella Bishop
05/22/2026
President’s Ambassadors provide campus tours to prospective students, sit on student panels at admissions events, greet special campus guests, and engage with alumni and donors at special events.
Isabella Bishop
Major: Criminal justice and psychology double major
Hometown: Waynesburg, Ohio
Graduation year: 2029
Why did you choose Bluffton?
I chose Bluffton because I was instantly attracted to the smaller campus and the student-to-faculty ratio. I wanted to make sure that I was known far beyond a number to my professors. Getting this comfortable with professors helps me feel comfortable asking questions. I also loved the fact that Bluffton gives you opportunities to learn and grow far beyond just academics. I felt that coming into college I needed to make sure that I was able to develop both academically and grow as a person.
Why did you choose your major? Are your classes helpful?
I chose my major because I have always had a deep interest in criminal justice and law. When I was younger it was set in my mind that I wanted to make a difference in a system that sees a lot of corruption. That's exactly what my plans are today. My classes so far have been very helpful at expanding my understanding and broadening my knowledge about the many factors that go into both criminal justice and psychology. I also found my Becoming a Scholar class from first semester freshman year to be very helpful at pushing me to open up and realize things about myself that helped me to grow as a person.
What type of job do you want following graduation? What are your career goals?
My top choices right now would be a forensic psychologist or lawyer. Currently, I am doing a lot of career searching and looking into internships for both so that I can see what my daily life would look like if I chose one of those. I can confidently tell you that I am on the right path to my future because of how interested I am in all my major-fulfilling classes. My career goals are to find something that I enjoy doing and that pays me enough to live a comfortable life. I am very career driven and have my focus set on making sure that I am using my youth to set myself up for success in the future.
Tell us about Bluffton’s faculty, staff, and coaches. Are they helping you reach your goals?
I have nothing but good things to say about Bluffton’s faculty, staff and coaches. Even though I am not on a sports team at Bluffton, I see the coaches all the time around campus, and I am greeted with a smile. Bluffton really is a community with so much support and kindness given to the students by Bluffton employees. Everyone is ready to help at any time and genuinely cares about you and what you are going through. I have never been in such a supportive community where everyone truly does want you to succeed.
What student organizations are you part of? Why is it important for you to be active on campus?
I just recently received the job of being a Resident Advisor for the 2026-27 school year. I also plan to apply to become a mentor for the Becoming a Scholar classes for the next school year. I recognize that I have not been the most involved in my first year at Bluffton, and I think that is because of all the nerves that come with moving into college and going through college for the first time. I am a first-generation college student so to say that I went into college blind would be an understatement! I feel that I have really used my first year here to grow into the person that I want to be, and I am now ready to be a part of the many organizations that Bluffton offers. I believe that in order to get all out of college that you need, you should be involved and active on campus. Leaving your family to come to college can be hard and not getting involved makes it seem so much worse because of all of the time you could spend alone. Getting involved helps push you out of your shell and will allow you to see Bluffton for what it really is, which makes college so much more enjoyable.
Are you a student-athlete? If so, which sport(s) do you play, and what is the best part of being on a team at Bluffton?
I am not a student athlete at Bluffton. I was a three-sport athlete in high school and decided to not try to pursue any of those sports in college because I knew that I did not plan to try to make a career out of them. I recognize college as being a period to really shift my focus to my career, and that is exactly what I am currently doing.
Have you completed an internship or other hands-on learning experience? Tell us about it and what you learned from that experience.
I currently have not completed any internships or hands-on learning. I am currently in the process of finding and setting up these experiences for the summer to aid me along my career decision path. When I do experience this, I hope to get a better understanding of all that goes into the careers I am interested in. I also hope that this helps me figure out exactly what I want to do or helps me decide what careers I may not love as much.
Is there anything else about being a student at Bluffton that you would like to share?
Being a student at Bluffton has helped me so much, I was able to find faith and even got baptized in November! I feel like Bluffton has provided me with everything I need to continue to grow and learn more about myself. I can thank Bluffton enough for everything that I have gained just throughout my first year, and I am so excited to see what my future at Bluffton has in store for me!