Do you remember what your college experience was like as you came to terms with your own identity?
As students navigate the financial demands of college, plan their careers and adjust to new environments, finding a sense of belonging can be just as important as academic success.
From social events that help students form friendships to professional development programs that prepare them for life after graduation, these organizations can play a role in students’ academic and personal journeys.
At the University of Central Florida, one of these organizations is the Lavender Council, which operates under the university’s LGBTQ+ Student Support Services.
Established in 2015, the Lavender Council works to make UCF a more welcoming and equitable campus through programming and events that educate the university community about issues affecting LGBTQ+ people.
Alex Haggard, the council’s marketing graphic director, says educating the broader campus community often involves bringing people together and addressing misunderstandings about the queer community.
“I have seen students create little friend groups through speed friending events or smaller events like game night,” Haggard says. “I see them attend every event after and that is very heartwarming to see.”
The council hosts two major events each year: Lavender Knight, a three-hour show featuring local performers, and Transgender Week of Visibility, which includes multiple events centered on the transgender community.
During recent Transgender Week of Visibility events, the council invited to participate in a panel, Haggard says. The discussion encouraged students to think about their futures and the lives they hope to build.
“It is kind of a conversation with students to talk about what they want their future to look like for themselves in 20 years. It’s like an inspiration board, a motivational board,” Haggard explains.
Beyond its major events, the council also hosts tabling events and partners with organizations such as CREW Health and UCF Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to connect students with information about health and available resources.
Access to mental health care remains a challenge for many LGBTQ+ young people.
According to a 2025 survey by The Trevor Project, 44% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed who wanted mental health care in the previous year were unable to access it. Among those who could not access care, 46% cited cost as a barrier, while 39% said they were afraid to talk to someone else about their mental health.
At UCF, currently enrolled students who pay the student health fee can access CAPS services at no additional cost, according to the university’s official website.
Licensed or license-eligible psychologists, mental health counselors and social workers provide services through CAPS, including group therapy, crisis services, individual counseling and relationship counseling.
Haggard says partnerships with other campus organizations help the council connect students with resources and reinforce that support is available to them.
“That’s also been a big goal for us with partnering with other people to mostly let students know that they are heard and can be helped in any sort of capacity,” Haggard adds.
Beyond university-provided services, the Lavender Council maintains relationships with student-run organizations, including Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, also known as oSTEM. UCF’s oSTEM chapter was founded in 2019 as a professional development organization focused on bringing together students pursuing STEM degrees who identify as LGBTQ+.
The organization offers students opportunities to explore career paths and connect with professionals.
Each semester, the club hosts workshops to help students review their resumes and invites company recruiters to discuss employment opportunities and provide insight into their industries.
These opportunities can help students prepare to enter the workforce while building connections with people who understand their experiences.
For students still exploring their career goals, access to professional networks can also provide a starting point for learning about potential employers and industries.
However, support for LGBTQ+ students is not limited to UCF. At the University of South Florida, student organizations also offer opportunities to build community, access information and connect with peers.
Founded in 1974, USF’s Pride Alliance describes itself as “the oldest continuously funded gay student organization in the state of Florida,” according to the organization’s website.
Pride Alliance has more than 600 registered members on Bulls Connect, USF’s platform for student organizations, and more than 1,300 Instagram followers.
Like the Lavender Council, Pride Alliance operates under a university office focused on multicultural affairs and hosts events intended to provide a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ students and allies.
Its activities cover a range of interests, from study sessions and Minecraft game nights to conversations about sexual health.
The variety gives students different ways to participate, whether they want to meet people with similar interests, learn about health resources or spend time in a group study session.
For Wynter Dean, a recent USF microbiology graduate who is now pursuing a doctorate in Maine, these organizations were an important part of her college experience.
Dean attended events focused on the LGBTQ+ community from 2022 to 2026. She says student organizations can help create an environment where people learn about themselves and others while developing a greater understanding of the world around them.
“It gives people an experience to grow and learn about themselves, others and the world in a way that wouldn’t really be there if it wasn’t for these events and groups,” Dean says.
Among the organizations that provided a welcoming space for Dean were Pride Alliance and USF’s Trans+ Student Union, an organization that brings transgender students together for social activities and discussions about topics that may help them navigate their identities.
“I’ve gone to some informational meetings of theirs, talking about the processes of getting your name changed and starting HRT and all this stuff,” Dean adds.
Dean recalls that a presentation about changing one’s name was organized entirely by students. Those who had already gone through the process shared accessible information and explained what they had learned along the way.
“If you’ve gone through the name change process, it’s fairly simple to go through,” Dean says. “And you can put together a presentation on that without having to spend much money to get everything set up.”
For Dean, the value of these organizations extended beyond attending events or learning about available resources. She says being part of a community helped her develop the confidence to advocate for herself in academic settings, including when professors used the wrong name or misgendered her.
While campus organizations can help students build friendships and prepare for their careers, support needs do not necessarily end when they leave college.
For recent graduates and young professionals, finding mentorship, gaining work experience and learning to manage finances can present new challenges.
The Mukti Fund is one organization working to support LGBTQ+ people beyond the campus environment who are entering that professional setting.
Founded in 1983, the Mukti Fund initially supported cultural and environmental projects in the eastern Caribbean. In 2005, it began supporting queer youth initiatives through a funding circle with the Liberty Hill Foundation.
Neil Rios Laverde, philanthropic manager at the Central Florida Foundation and a board member of the Mukti Fund, says he was aware of opportunities for queer students when he joined the board but saw a need for additional mentorship and support.
“We didn’t have that mentoring, nurturing component where we intentionally told students, ‘These are the resources that you need. This is what you need to do, and this is how you have to be to succeed in the workforce,’” he explains.
This led to the development of the Queer Excellence Program, an initiative that provides mentorship and paid internship opportunities for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We provide them with a paid internship. We give them resources. We give them valuable workshops where they can truly take something with them and achieve the excellence that they’re hoping for,” Rios Laverde shares.
The Queer Excellence Program partners with LGBTQ+ and other organizations serving the queer community. When a participating organization is interested in hosting an intern, the program provides funding to pay them.
Rios Laverde says the program placed four interns during its first year, eight during its second year and now they are hosting 12 students in total.
The program seeks to give interns opportunities to gain experience in workplaces that serve the community. Participating organizations have included Equality Florida, Hope Community Center, Orlando Youth Alliance and Watermark Out News, where Haggard served as a social media intern earlier this year.
However, Rios Laverde advises the program’s focus extends beyond employment. In addition to providing paid internships, the Mukti Fund has introduced programming designed to help participants develop skills they can use in their personal and professional lives.
One of those opportunities is a financial literacy workshop developed in partnership with Smart Wealth, a local wealth management firm in Orlando. The workshops cover topics such as retirement planning, savings and insurance.
“A lot of us don’t really have those conversations with our parents, mainly because our parents probably don’t know either,” Rios Laverde explains. “And students can ask any question shamelessly from a very well-equipped financial advisor who’s very well known in the community.”
Rios Laverde adds that for some students, the only thing that they may have is their community, their “chosen family,” and that creating a connection and making sure they feel welcome means a lot.
“I want them to know that they matter, that they’re important, that they are honestly trying harder than most at this point to really get to where they want,” he says.
For more information, visit Access.UCF.edu/Civil-Discourse-and-Engagement/LGBTQ-Student-Support-Services/, BullsConnect.USF.edu/Pride/Home/ and MuktiFund.org.
