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Student Success Conference

September 11-13, 2026

About

The Student Success Conference is a unique opportunity designed for select incoming UCF students.

Through engaging sessions, interactive workshops, and valuable networking opportunities, students will explore and learn to maximize the wealth of resources and services available at UCF, while forming meaningful connections with peers, faculty, staff, and university leaders.

Preview past conferences to see what’s ahead.

2025 Student Success Conference
2024 Student Success Conference

Our Goals

Our goals are to Empower, Equip, and Support meaningful connections and student success. We want every student to seize opportunities that:

  • Establish a strong foundation for success identifying personal strengths, support networks, growth opportunities, and success habits that will serve as the foundation for your academic and personal journey at UC

  • Engage in meaningful connections by navigating university expectations, building supportive relationships with peers, faculty, staff, and campus resources and developing actionable strategies that promote academic achievement and personal well-being

  • Cultivate habits that promote long-term success by applying behaviors and practices that contribute to future outcomes such as academic excellence, leadership development, graduate school preparation, and career readiness.

Conference Schedule

Friday Schedule

Check-in and Registration

4–4:30PM

Located at the front desk and Executive Ballroom H

Welcome to SSC 2026

5:30–6:30pm

A welcome from the Provost and Student Government followed by performances by DJ Salvatore, UCF Dancers, Knightro & Cheerleaders located in Executive Ballroom H

Saturday Schedule

Breakfast and Keynote

8–9:45am

Breakfast will be served in Executive Ballroom H with a keynote

Break Out Sessions I and II

10am–12:10pm

(Break Out Session I runs from 10–11AM and Break Out Session II runs from 11:10AM–12:10PM)

Located in Salon 1, 2, 3, 4, 7/8, and 12

Break Out Sessions:

  • The Dignity Index
  • Reality Check: A Budgeting Simulation Game
  • Elevate your Impact: Recognizing Yourself as a Leader
  • AI, Your Brain, and Your Future: How to Use AI Without Letting It Use You 
  • Show Up, Stand Out: Professionalism for College and Beyond

View Session I and II Descriptions

Lunch and TikTalks

12:20–1:50pm

Lunch will be served in Executive Ballroom H with TikTalks from UCF Knights

Break Out Sessions III and IV

2–4:10PM

(Break Out Session III runs from 2PM–3PM and Break Out Session IV runs from 3:10PM–4:10PM)

Located in Salon 1, 2, 3, 4, 7/8, and 12

Break Out Sessions:

  • Passport to Possibility: How Study Abroad Changed My Life 
  • Financial Foundations: Small Steps, Extraordinary Outcomes
  • Building Your Own Personal Brand While Charging On at UCF – How to Make Your College Years Count Before You Need a Résumé
  • Mind Matters: Building Your College Mental Health Toolkit
  • Own Your Writing: Expert Tutors Share Tips for Success

View Session III and IV Descriptions

TikTalks +

4:30–5:30pm

More TikTalks with UCF Knights located in Executive Ballroom H

Sunday Schedule

Welcome Breakfast and Keynote

8–9:25am

Breakfast will be served in Executive Ballroom H with a welcome from Dr. Andrea I. Guzmán and a keynote

Break Out Sessions V and VI

10:00am–12:10pm

(Break Out Session V runs from 10–11AM and Break Out Session VI runs from 11:10AM–12:10PM)

Located in Salon 1, 2, 3, 4, 7/8, and 12

Breakout Sessions:

  • Survive and Thrive: The Adulting Challenge 
  • Mission Ready: Building the Discipline to Succeed at UCF

View Session V and VI Descriptions

Lunch, Group Photo, and Reflection

12:10–1:10pm

Lunch will be served in Executive Ballroom H along with group photo and a conference reflection with Dr. Haley Winston

Load Buses and Departure

1:10–2:10pm

Retrieve luggage, load buses, and depart to UCF Main Campus

Breakout Sessions

Saturday, Sessions I and II

Presented by: Denise McFadden 

Professionalism starts long before your first full-time job. In this interactive session, students will explore how everyday choices—from how they communicate and show up to what they post online—can shape how they are perceived. Through real-world scenarios and activities, students will learn how to navigate common college situations, build positive habits, and strengthen their professional reputation. Students will leave with practical strategies they can use throughout college and into their future careers. 

Presented by: Dr. Elizabeth Giltner 

How do you graduate with real skills in a world where AI can already do your work? This interactive workshop will focus on students’ desired futures, identity formation, developing effective study habits, and ethics in an AI-infused world.   

Your credit score can impact much more than your ability to get a credit card. Learn how credit works, how to read and understand your credit report, and practical strategies for building and maintaining healthy credit. With tools and resources from Regions Next Step, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to use credit wisely and take steps toward your financial goals. 

Congratulations! You’ve just graduated and landed your first job. Now it’s time to make some important decisions about housing, transportation, cell phone service, and more. That’s the situation students will face in the new Reality Check game. 

Students will receive a salary and navigate a variety of financial choices, including a few unexpected surprises, while balancing their check register along the way. It’s an engaging and practical way to learn an essential real-life skill. Give it a try! 

Saturday, Sessions III and IV

Presenters: Samantha Redlund, Assistant Director & Kristina Chavers, Associate Director Student Financial Assistance 

Your financial future starts with the choices you make today. Join us for an engaging and empowering conversation designed to help Knights take intentional steps toward financial confidence and success. Discover practical strategies for managing your money, creating a realistic budget, saving with limited resources, and avoiding common debt pitfalls. Whether you’re just beginning your financial journey or looking to strengthen your current habits, learn how small, intentional choices can create lasting impact. Leave with the knowledge and confidence to build a strong financial foundation and turn today’s steps into tomorrow’s extraordinary outcomes. 

Presented by Dr. Carolyn Massiah. 

Your personal brand is being built long before you need a résumé or step into your first career. In this interactive session, students will explore how their experiences, relationships, involvement, and choices at UCF can help shape the reputation they want to build. Students will identify the qualities they want to be known for, consider how to make intentional choices throughout their college experience, and create a personalized “Knight Brand Statement” to guide their growth and involvement at UCF. 

Presented by: Ashley Allette 

Starting college is exciting but it can also bring stress, pressure, homesickness, and unexpected challenges. This interactive workshop will help incoming students understand the importance of mental well-being and learn practical strategies for managing stress, building healthy habits, recognizing when they may need support, and finding campus resources. Students will leave with tools to help them care for themselves, support their peers, and build a strong foundation for their college experience.

Presented by UCF Writing Center  

 Join experienced University Writing Center staff as they share tips, habits, and practical strategies for getting the most out of your writing in any class while also successfully navigating the UCF student experience. 

Sunday, Sessions V and VI

Presented by: Mike Kepner 

Success in college rarely happens by accident. Drawing on principles used in military training and leadership, this workshop explores practical strategies for preparing, planning, staying disciplined, working with others, adapting when things don’t go as planned, and taking ownership of your goals. Whether your “mission” is passing your first semester, balancing competing priorities, or building a path toward your future career, you’ll leave with tools you can put into practice immediately at UCF.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Trenton S. Marsh

Dr. L. Trenton S. Marsh

L. Trenton S. Marsh, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Learning Sciences and Educational Research department at the University of Central Florida. His work focuses on understanding the experiences of historically marginalized students and confronting disproportionality in education. He also examines how institutional policies affect individuals’ lives and engages youth to reimagine and inform both practices and policies.

Dr. Marsh received the “Spirit of Innovation” award at the UCF/Valencia Downtown campus and is the recipient of the 2025 Volunteer of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida for creating the Healing Oasis for Peace and Empowerment® (H.O.P.E.) Circle. In partnership with the Levy-Hughes Club in the historic Parramore community, H.O.P.E. amplifies the concerns of young people and fosters a space to work alongside young people to discover solutions.

Dr. Marsh’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation-Civic Innovation Challenge, the American Physical Society, the American Psychological Association (Division 15), and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. He has published his research widely, including Teachers College Record, Urban Review, Education Week, and Urban Education. Before his academic career, Dr. Marsh was a Managing Business Consultant at IBM Corporation for nearly a decade.

Dr. Adrienne Frame

Dr. Adrienne Frame serves as the Vice President for Student Success and Well-Being at the University of Central Florida. In this role, Dr. Frame has oversight and supervision for Student Life, Community Support, Student Rights and Responsibilities, Wellness, Housing and Residence Life, and First Year Transition.

As a dedicated, passionate, and inclusive student-centered educator, Dr. Frame has a distinguished record of more than 29 years of service to the field of Student Affairs. She has been active in regional and national organizations, including service as the President of the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) and as a faculty member for the Jim Grimm National Housing Traning Institute (NHTI) and for SEAHO’s Regional Entry Level Institute (RELI). She has authored a book chapter on lessons learned from crisis response, has presented at conferences at the regional and national level, and has delivered several invited keynote addresses.

Dr. Frame is energized by opportunities to work with students toward the achievement of their goals and in building coalitions of faculty, staff, and student leaders at all levels of the academy to imagine and realize collective objectives and favorable outcomes.

Resources

Need some guidance for the Student Success Conference? Check out our resources below. For questions or inquires about the event, please email Dr. Pierre Louis at pierrelouis@ucf.edu.

Rosen Center Hotel Google Maps Map of Rosen Center Hotel and Ballrooms Guide for Professional and Business Attire

FAQs

No. Due to liability, the University will provide transportation from the UCF main campus to the Rosen Shingle Creek, as well as transportation back to the main campus at the end of the conference.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided during the conference, but should you feel the need to bring extra cash, the hotel has a convenience store located on the first floor.

Professional and business casual. Bring casual clothes for after the conference hours to relax in. Refer to the video Professional vs Business Casual Attire as a guide.

Dr. Pierre Louis at pierrelouis@ucf.edu.to receive documentation for attending the conference.

Orders cancelled before July 26, 2024 will receive a refund for tickets purchased. Orders placed after July 26, 2024 will not be eligible for refunds.