Bronx Community College celebrated the 8th anniversary of Womxn Up! with a campus event that also served as the kickoff for Women’s Herstory Month. The gathering drew a packed room of students, faculty and staff and included recognition of Professor Gloria Rodriguez, who will retire at the end of the academic year after 28 years at BCC.

Rodriguez, a professor in the Department of Social Sciences who teaches courses including Psychology of Women, founded and serves as the faculty director of Womxn Up!, BCC’s Women’s Center. During the event, speakers reflected on the program’s growth and the role it has played in supporting students and fostering connection across campus.

Rodriguez emphasized the collaborative nature of the initiative and the purpose behind the Center’s work.

“This work has always been about creating a space where students feel supported, connected and able to show up as their full selves,” she said.

She also reflected on the early efforts that led to the creation of the Women’s Center and the programs that followed, noting that the work grew from years of organizing a team, through collaborating with faculty, staff and students committed to ensuring that women had spaces on campus for building community, dialogue and support.

Vice President for Student Success Manny Lopez, who was involved in the initiative from its early stages, also spoke about the broader impact of the program and its continued influence on future students.

“The work that’s happening here will continue to impact people we may never meet,” Lopez said. “The essence of the work that we do isn’t for ourselves – it’s for the next generation.”

The event featured a slideshow highlighting eight years of WomxnUp! programming and history, recognition of early advisory board members, student testimonials, and a women’s poetry presentation.

Since its founding, WomxnUp! has offered a range of student-centered programs, including wellness workshops, leadership certificate programs, community discussions, and collaborative events with campus partners such as the Office of Student Life, the Social Justice Network, Association of Latino Faculty and Staff, ASAP, Office of Student Diversity Initiatives and Men’s Empowerment Network, SGA, among others.

As WomxnUp! enters its ninth year, speakers emphasized that the community and opportunities it created will continue to grow and support future generations of BCC students.