Graduation is just around the corner, and many students are filled with excitement as they plan to walk across the stage in May and begin their new lives. Father and son duo Mark Bishop and Josiah Bishop, a senior public administration major, are especially excited for this graduation season. They will be graduates of two milestone anniversaries for UTSA: M. Bishop graduated on the 25th anniversary and J. Bishop is graduating on the 50th anniversary.
M. Bishop grew up in Corpus Christi and joined the Air Force right after his high school graduation. While he was on active duty at the former Brooks Air Force Base as an environmental specialist, he decided he wanted to get his degree in a related field: environmental science. He attended night classes at UTSA from 1992 to 1994 until he received his masters in environmental science.
“I enjoyed [the master’s program] so much,” M. Bishop said. “I got to be around like-minded people.”
Upon his graduation, M. Bishop felt pride in being a Roadrunner.
“I am very grateful to have been able to graduate from UTSA,” M. Bishop said. “It shaped me into the person I am today.”
Following in his father’s footsteps, J. Bishop, who grew up in Boerne, decided to attend UTSA after graduation due to the proximity to his family. He joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in 2015 and held the positions of chaplain and recruitment chair.
“Coming here turned my expectations around,” J. Bishop said. “ In my mind I think of college as much more of a grind, and I didn’t know how well I would do, but what I take most from [UTSA] is the sense of accomplishment knowing I can get my degree on my own.”
J. Bishop is double minoring in business administration and nonprofit management. His dream job would be fundraising for a nonprofit organization.
“Hearing ‘nonprofit fundraising’ doesn’t sound that interesting, but the whole process is pretty engaging,” J. Bishop said.
M. Bishop will also be a part of the ring ceremony this spring, so he and his son will be recognized together; their rings will also be included in the UTSA tradition where rings are housed in the Alamo overnight. He feels that the connection with his son has strengthened through their bond of attending UTSA.
“I feel a tremendous amount of love,” M. Bishop said.
“[Following my dad’s footsteps] was one of those things I didn’t really think about,” J. Bishop said, “But now that I think about it, it’s kinda cool.”
