Westmont Magazine Acting Collegiate

Last summer, Joey Bisoglio felt torn. Should he pursue a blossoming career in acting or go to college?

The son of a movie, stage, and television actor, Joey spent the year after graduating from high school studying acting in Los Angeles. His teacher felt he had promise and encouraged him to “go for it.” He signed with a manager, who secured a number of auditions for him late in the summer.

But Joey was also thinking about college and had visited Westmont, just a short distance from his home in Santa Ynez. “I fell in love with the campus,” he recalls, “and, in the end, I felt God wanted me here.

“I had planned to focus just on my studies and spiritual growth at Westmont and not act,” he continues. “But then I met Professor Cochran. He showed me the script of the fall play, ‘The Hasty Heart,’ and asked me to audition. I liked the play and thought it was a touching story—plus it’s difficult for me to stay away from acting!” So Joey ended up playing the lead role of Lachlen, a Scottish soldier from World War II who had only two weeks to live. He even perfected his Scottish brogue for the role!

As a first-year student, he is deliberating between an English and a philosophy major. “I like a challenge, and I want to be pushed,” he says. But he still wants to pursue a career in acting ultimately. For now, Joey is adjusting to dorm life, two roommates, and no car after having lived on his own in L.A. for a year—challenge enough for this talented 19-year-old!