From his first day at Boston College, being an Eagle just came naturally to Wynndell Bishop. Now, the Dorchester native and founding member of the AHANA Alumni Advisory Council (AAAC) is following the footsteps of his classmate and friend Eric Silva ’00 to serve as president of the Boston College Alumni Association. We sat down with Wynndell to talk about his time at the Heights, what makes him tick, and his goals entering this new role.

---

Can you talk a bit about your experience at BC?

WB: I had a great, diverse group of friends, and got involved in activities on campus early on. Some of my best memories are from my time on the programming committee for UGBC: we booked Chris Rock, and even got OutKast to perform, with Eminem opening for them! It’s crazy to think about now, but we put together some great shows, and they really brought everybody together.

That—and my tenure as VP of the Minority Engineers of BC—was an early introduction to how you can get things done on campus.

You’re a very service-oriented person—where does that come from?

WB: Family, for one. I was always taught to advocate for others and be a voice for the voiceless. Since graduating, I’ve served as the social and professional development chair in the Urban League of Massachusetts’ Young Professionals Network, I ran the political action committee for the Boston branch of the NAACP, and I remain active in a lot of service work in my local community. 

At the end of the day, I just like to help people. And given how extroverted I am, being around people and engaging folks is what energizes me and brings me life.

How has BC formed you?

WB: It’s interesting—I’ve never been overly religious, but I think there was a lot of alignment with the Jesuit ideal of being “men and women for others.” That resonated with me and formed my desire to give back, probably more so than I initially realized—must be in the water or something.

Why did you say ‘Yes’ to the opportunity to lead the BCAA?

WB: Anything that I participate in, I want to have a say in how it’s run. What was nice about my (previous) role as a VP of the BCAA was that it allowed me to work with the LGBTQ+ Council, the Real Estate and Wall Street councils, the AAAC, the Council for Women of BC. 

And because that’s the stuff I love to do anyway, it didn’t feel like work. Working with those groups and trying to identify how the alumni board could enhance their messaging and support them better, it was just natural. Those conversations were not only fulfilling, but have proven fruitful—breaking down silos and leveraging the skills and talents of one another for the benefit of all.

What are your biggest priorities as the new president of the BCAA?

WB: How can we support the comprehensive campaign? How do we engage our alumni base—we have over 2,500 alumni volunteers—and leverage those folks to reach out to their networks and communicate the message of why it’s important to support BC. 

Ultimately, I want to do whatever I can to lift up BC. I think that’s what the AAAC and the BCAA are all about—how we ensure that BC is a place that’s comfortable and welcoming to everyone.