Active Students (as of Fall 2025)*
Undergrad minors: 67
Undergrad certificates: 7
Graduate certificates: 13
2025-26 Student Credit Hours: 1,264
*All active students with declared CAH programs are included in the enrollment counts.
The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) Program experienced a year of growth and engagement, expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, supporting innovative scholarship, strengthening community partnerships, and creating meaningful learning experiences for students across the university.
A significant highlight was the launch of the inaugural Interdisciplinary Women’s and Gender Studies Working Group (IWGSWG), led by Karina Cespedes, associate professor of philosophy, humanities, and cultural studies, and Anne Bubriski, director of WGST. The initiative brought together more than 25 faculty members from seven UCF colleges, who met biweekly throughout the academic year to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthen research across campus. IWGSWG also hosted the Second Annual Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium, featuring faculty presentations exploring women’s and gender issues from global perspectives.
WGST further expanded its community impact through international engagement. Bubriski hosted the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Combating Coercive Violence Synthesis Session in partnership with WorldOrlando. The day-long seminar convened participants from across Africa for collaborative discussions focused on addressing gender-based violence in their home countries.
The program continued its commitment to advancing research and student success through the annual Gloria Anzaldúa Research Excellence Awards, providing two faculty research grants of $1,000 each. This year’s recipients were Annabelle Conroy, associate lecturer and undergraduate coordinator in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, for her project, Organizing Against All Odds: Women Mobilizing for Workers’ Rights, and Elsie Olan, associate professor in the School of Teacher Education, for her project, Integrating Generative AI to Support Transdisciplinary Learning and Student Engagement. WGST also awarded eight student scholarships recognizing excellence in STEM, honors education, research travel, and community engagement.
Teaching and experiential learning remain at the heart of the WGST mission. The program’s long-standing service-learning course, Introduction to Women’s Studies, taught by Leandra Preston, engages students in more than 1,000 hours of community service each semester. WGST also expanded participation in UCF’s Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) Initiative to reduce textbook costs and increase educational accessibility and supported faculty development through conferences, workshops, and professional certifications focused on educational technology and the integration of artificial intelligence in higher education pedagogy.
Recognizing the importance of expanding opportunities for women and girls in STEM, WGST continued its support of the Science Leadership and Mentoring (SLAM) program, which pairs seventh-grade students with UCF students in STEM majors for year-long mentorship. This year, ten mentor-mentee pairs explored topics including careers in physics, medicine, and engineering, leadership development, conflict management, problem-solving, self-confidence, goal setting, and even rocket design, helping inspire future generations of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
This year also marked the retirement of WGST Administrative Assistant Tina Hunter following an exceptional 35 years of service to UCF. For more than 15 years, Hunter was an integral member of the WGST team, providing steadfast administrative leadership, supporting students, and contributing significantly to the program’s daily operations. She also served on the WGST Advisory Board and played an important role in organizing the annual Women-to-Women Conference in partnership with the Farmworkers Association of Florida for over a decade. WGST extends its deepest gratitude for her many years of dedicated service and wishes her continued happiness and success in her well-deserved retirement.
An interdisciplinary academic program offering undergraduate and graduate certificates as well as an undergraduate minor, WGST serves students from every UCF college. The program remains committed to developing critical thinking, communication, civic engagement, and community-focused learning while fostering an intellectually diverse academic environment.
