Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) is an interdisciplinary program offering an undergraduate minor and certificate as well as a graduate certificate. WGST students represent all UCF colleges, creating a dynamic and engaging classroom environment. The program emphasizes excellence in critical thinking, written communication, and problem solving and offers various opportunities to serve local, regional and global communities.
WGST is active on campus, hosting and participating in numerous events. A highlight this past year was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Women’s and Gender Studies at UCF. The program held a special event to honor its founders and those who will continue to shape its future. Former directors Shelly Park, Cecilia Rodríguez Milanés and Maria C. Santana shared memories and highlights of their leadership. WGST and UCF alumna Anna Eskamani delivered the keynote address, receiving a standing ovation.
In collaboration with Karina Cespedes, associate professor of philosophy, humanities and cultural Studies and Anne Bubriski, WGST director, hosted the inaugural Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium. The event featured faculty from various UCF departments and colleges presenting research on global women’s and gender issues. The colloquium is planned to continue each spring semester.
Other WGST events included:
- An “Impostor Syndrome Workshop” for UCF students, hosted by Anne Bubriski and Cassi Willard, director of UCF Blackstone LaunchPad
- Co-sponsorship of the American/Latinx Film Festival with the Political Science Department and UCF-UFF
- “Women First at UCF,” an event during Women’s History Month recognizing women who were the first in their field at UCF
The annual Gloria Anzaldúa Research Excellence Award granted two $1,000 awards to faculty research projects: Betsy Kalin, assistant professor of film and mass media, for Portraits: Queer Gen Z, and Ann Gleig, associate professor of religion and cultural studies, for From Atrocity Tales to Survivor-Centered: Cult Discourse, Feminism, and the Study of New Religious Movements. WGST also awarded eight undergraduate student scholarships for STEM, honors, research travel and community work.
Teaching remains central to WGST. Leandra Preston’s long-standing service-learning course, Introduction to Women’s Studies, includes over 1,000 hours of student service learning each semester. Anne Bubriski has added two High Impact Program designation courses: WST 3371H Women and Leadership (Research Intensive) and WST 3460H Women, Race and Struggle (Service Learning) to the curriculum. WGST is also working to include all courses in UCF’s Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) Initiative.
As part of Anne Bubriski’s honors course Women, Race and Struggle, students partnered with the Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF). More than 20 UCF students spent a day in Apopka, FL, learning about the experience of farmworkers, as well as the history, culture, environment and people of Apopka. They met longtime advocate and former farmworker Linda Lee and heard about her experiences growing up in Apopka during a period of social change. Students read Fed Up: The High Cost of Cheap Food, a collection of Apopka farmworker narratives, and wrote reflective essays connecting their experiences to course content.
WGST supports STEM leadership through its Science Leadership and Mentoring (SLAM) program, which pairs UCF STEM majors (“Bigs”) with seventh-grade students (“Littles”) This year, 10 mentor pairs explored topics such as rocket building; careers in physics, medicine, and engineering; conflict resolution and self-esteem. SLAM program manager and former Big Sachitaa Senthilkumar received a $1,000 scholarship from the American Association of University Women for her work with SLAM and her academic excellence as a UCF Burnett Medical Scholar majoring in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Information Technology.
Three WGST minors graduated with honors this spring and are entering obstetrics medical programs across the country. They expressed gratitude for the opportunity to minor in WGST as they pursue careers in women’s health.
Finally, while it was bittersweet to see Maria C. Santana retire last year, this year WGST celebrated her recognition as professor emerita at UCF Founders Day. Santana, who served as WGST director for 13 years and was a UCF faculty member for 29 years, built a nationally recognized program that bridges academic disciplines and communities both local and global.