Lauren Root – Features Editor 

For the last alumni interview of the 2026 Campus newspaper, I had the pleasure of speaking with Zoë Whitfield, class of 2019. During our conversation, we spoke about her time at Bishop’s and the exciting life that she’s lived since leaving Lennoxville. 

Zoë first heard of Bishop’s through her friend’s uncle, who was an alumnus and loved his time here. Growing up in Calgary, Zoë attended French immersion school and knew that she wanted to attend a smaller university, hoping to go somewhere different than where all her peers were going. Knowing of Bishop’s small size and wanting the ability to continue practicing her French in an anglophone environment, Bishop’s was the perfect fit for her. 

Image courtesy of Zoë Whitfield

When Zoë arrived at Bishop’s, she discovered there was a golf team. As an avid golfer, she joined the team and participated in varsity sports during her four years at Bishop’s. She majored in finance and was involved with the Bishop’s Commerce Society. Throughout her membership with the Commerce Society, she went from the Director of Marketing to the President of the society. In her fourth year, Zoë started a Case Management and Consulting club. She knew this was a field of work she was interested in and figured other students would be interested as well, so she made the decision to create the club. 

During her time at Bishop’s, Zoë came to realize the high level of education she was receiving. The opportunity to do case competitions and attend conferences was something that helped prepare her for the workforce after Bishop’s and helped improve her confidence. 

After graduating from Bishop’s in 2019, Zoë leveraged the alumni network to help find an internship. This allowed her to work in her desired field and develop the experience required to progress in her career. Zoë mentioned how helpful the alumni network is, and strongly encourages Bishop’s students to use the resources available to them, and how those resources don’t end after you leave Lennoxville. 

In 2023, after working in advertising as an account manager for a start-up, Zoë decided she wanted to try something new. So, she applied for a working holiday visa from New Zealand and moved across the world. While in New Zealand, Zoë worked both at a lodge and later at a golf course. At the golf course, she helped with marketing and communications projects, allowing her to work between two sites. 

In April of 2024, after her visa expired, Zoë returned to Calgary and began working for a golf company that organizes bucket list golf trips for people all over the world. Zoë’s role is to be on the ground and make sure all the planning of the trip goes off smoothly. To make sure this happens, she coordinates with hotels and events. 

Zoë says that her time at Bishop’s made her open to trying new things, and just going for something and figuring it out as she went. Zoë came to Bishop’s without ever seeing the Bishop’s campus, and loved studying here, so it inspired her to take the leap and move to New Zealand for a year. The communication skills she developed at Bishop’s helped her confidence grow and helped her work efficiently with people in her field, no matter their age. 

Thank you, Zoë, for your time at Bishop’s, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to Lennoxville whenever you’re in the area!