Supported by courage, conviction, and community, Bishruti Rijal ’26 turns four years of a Gettysburg College education into a launchpad for her future.
When Gettysburg College Commencement student speaker Bishruti (Bish) Rijal ’26 addresses the Class of 2026 on May 16, she’ll be in the company of her campus family—friends, classmates, faculty, and staff who have supported her on her college journey.
As an international student from Kathmandu, Nepal, Rijal took every opportunity Gettysburg offered her and turned them into ways to help others, think deeply, and grow in ways unimaginable to her four years ago.
Making the most of her time at Gettysburg, Rijal has served as a residence coordinator (RC), worked for the Center for Global Education (CGE), spent time as a research assistant in the Psychology Department, participated in summer research through the Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute at Gettysburg (X-SIG), provided campus tours through the Office of Admissions, and engaged in programming through the Center for Public Service, Garthwait Leadership Center, and the Eisenhower Institute. She is also a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.
Rijal will graduate from Gettysburg with a degree in biology and a minor in neuroscience.
Before she steps behind the podium to deliver her Commencement speech, Rijal took time to acknowledge the people and the place that will forever be a part of her life.
Q: Why did you choose to attend Gettysburg College?
“I liked Gettysburg for its research opportunities. When I was applying, my counselor told me there are a lot of students from Nepal at Gettysburg. ‘There’s already a community of students that you can be a part of as soon as you get there,’ she said. I found so much of my community at Gettysburg.
“I felt the gravity of where I was during the First-Year Walk when we heard the Gettysburg Address. Everyone was saying to us that you are at a consequential place. I realized at the time the history that was here.”
Q: What’s your favorite spot to hang out on campus?
“I have a lot of memories around Stine Lake. I lived in Stine Hall my first year, so every time I heard music, I would go out to see what’s going on. I remember the first time I felt I had friends on campus. We had a laser tag event for first-years. Stine Lake is also where I enjoyed s’mores. We have a group that always gets together, and that’s where it got started.
“Stine Lake is also the place where I sat and contemplated life a lot of the time. When the weather was nice, it was a place where I could sit outside, and my friends and I would go and hang out. It brings people together, and it gives the College a vibe when the weather is nice and everyone is out, and people are playing Frisbee and flying kites.”
Q: What were some of your favorite campus activities?
“Definitely working for Res Ed. I have connected with so many people here through it. It has changed my view of leadership. My upper-class RCs passed down the leadership legacy to me, and seeing myself do that with my own staff has been a full-circle moment.
“I loved going abroad to Budapest, Hungary, and working for CGE. I love talking about Gettysburg, so being an Admissions tour guide was one of my favorite things to do. It came with a lot of opportunity to connect to people and share what I love about the College.
“I also enjoyed getting to do research here and loved being in the labs. My professors, Biology Prof. Kazuo Hiraizumi and Psychology Prof. Sara Keefer, were all very encouraging.”
“I wish we had more Stoles of Gratitude because there are so many people I’m grateful for.”
– Bishruti (Bish) Rijal ’26
Q: Who were some of the people who supported you during your college journey?
“If I looked down my timeline, the first group of people would be International Student Services Director Brad Lancaster, Assistant Director of International Student Services Bekah Hurwitz, and Program Coordinator Carla Pavlick. They’ve always been a quiet support system and really impacted my first year.
“Assistant Director of Residential Education Brooke Gutschick ’17 and my Res Ed staff have been supportive ever since I’ve been here, but especially as a staff member. Stephanie Rye from CGE, Antonio Mora Calderon from The Bullet Hole, Bonnie Plank (the housekeeper in Stine Hall), my professors, my friends, my parents, and my sister—I wish we had more Stoles of Gratitude because there are so many people I’m grateful for.”
Q: What is the biggest life lesson you learned at Gettysburg?
“Considering how I was feeling my first year—uncertain and not knowing where I wanted to go—the biggest thing I learned is that I will figure it out, and I don’t have to do it alone.
“I approach things now with so much excitement. That’s the only way you can go forth through uncertainty.”
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
“I’m hoping to spend a few days with my parents and spend time with my friends. I’m also currently applying for research tech jobs in translational medicine or neurogenetics.
“There are a lot of things that my friends and I want to do before graduating—we have to get the last of the Servo cookies before graduation, take a picture of my first-year residence hall, and go around to places in town I won’t be able to see after graduation, including Mr. G’s for ice cream one last time!”
For more information about Commencement for the Class of 2026, including the weekend’s schedule, please visit the Commencement webpage.
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By Michael Vyskocil
Photos by Tyler Caruso, unless otherwise noted
Posted: 05/06/26