On the afternoon of April 28th, WGSS hosted its Annual Spring Reception and Undergraduate Research Symposium. The event kicked off with eight WGSS undergraduate students presenting on their research projects. The projects were developed under the guidance of WGSS faculty and co-instructors, Dr.Jian Neo Chen and Dr.Shannon Winnubst of the WGSST 4574/4575 capstone course, as well as an additional student who engaged in research with the mentorship of Dr.Bayan Abusneineh. An intermission and poster session followed, where students, faculty, and staff mingled and further discussed their research. 

WGSS' Department Chair, Dr.Mytheli Sreenivas shared a welcome message to open our spring reception programming. Updates were shared from FREE Center, OPEEP, Triota, and the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Certificate. We then congratulated our 2026 award and grant recipients, which included thirteen undergraduate and graduate students and totaled over $13,000 in funding support! We also recognized our 2026 graduating students, including undergraduate majors, MA, and PhD students. 

Finally, we concluded with a special celebration to congratulate long-time WGSS faculty member, Dr.Linda Mizejewski. WGSS faculty shared stories and anecdotes about her character, as well as her contributions to the WGSS department and field. Of course, Dr.Mizejewski herself shared some closing inspirational remarks to demonstrate her gratitude as her career transitions to retirement and she leaves behind an impressive legacy. 

It was a wonderful celebration to recognize the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff as the 2025-2026 academic year came to a close. Congratulations to all of our award recipients, graduating students, faculty, and staff for this year's accomplishments!