WIA Student Collectives
WIA student collectives are student-run clubs at various higher education institutions. These collectives give students an opportunity to build and foster an animation community that aligns with WIA’s mission of empowering and advocating for people of underrepresented gender identities in the art, technology, production, and business of animation, gaming, and VFX.
WIA Global supports these recognized communities in a variety of ways not limited to:
- WIA brand recognition and affiliation
- Industry connections and resources
- Leadership support
- Peer-to-peer student collective connections
- Event support
NOTE: WIA Student Collectives must be approved by WIA Global and approval must be renewed on an annual basis.
Important Dates
September 1, 2025
Applications open
September 10, 2025
General Information Session for students interested in starting or renewing WIA Student Collective. Register Today.
October 11, 2025
Applications close.
October 18, 2025
Application Status Emails go out.
November 2025
– Student Collective Leaders Meet-and-Greet
– StuColl Training
February 2026
Mid-year report due
May 2026
End-of-year report due and end-of-year celebration
Dates are subject to change; events may be added or removed as needed.
COLLECTIVE Goals
Why Form A Student Collective?
As animation continues to reach audiences of diverse age, gender, ethnicity, abilities and culture, so does the need to ensure that animation content represents the world as it should be — a world where people of diverse genders are meaningfully represented, both behind the scenes and on the screen, to move culture forward. You can help make this vision a reality by stepping up as a leader to grow and empower like-minded members at your school. Leading a WIA community can be a rewarding experience in a variety of ways, including:
- Giving back to the community you love
- Empower women (cis and trans) and nonbinary students who want to get into the industry
- Building your leadership skills
- Growing your professional network
COLLECTIVE REQUIREMENTS
- Commitment to one full Student Collective year of leadership by Collective leaders (6-6.5 months).
- NOTE: Each Student Collective should have at least two co-leads. Responsibilities can be split up, but Collectives with only one identified leader are less likely to be approved.
- Student Collective Co-Leads are expected and agree to finish the Student Collective year in its entirety from October to May.
- Host a minimum of at least 3 events per year (virtual or in-person – 2 Connects, 1 Talent Development).
- Maintain consistent member outreach via social media (Discord, Bluesky, or Instagram) or an email newsletter.
- Attend all mandatory StuColl meetings and trainings.
- Submit a mid-year report and end-of-year report.
WIA Student Collectives
The Student Collectives listed below are still required to renew their Collective annually to be considered active.
Contact WIA if you are unsure of your Collective’s Status.
Academy of Art University (@wia_artu)
Animation Mentor (@wia_animationmentor)
Arizona State University (@wia.asu)
California College of The Arts
California State University Northridge (@wia.csun)
California State University, Fullerton (@wia.csuf)
Chapman University (@wia_chapman)
Columbus College of Art & Design (@Animationcollectiveccad)
Daemen University (@wia.daemen)
DePaul University (@wia.depaul)
Emily Carr University of Art and Design (@wia.ecuad)
Fashion Institute of Technology (@Wia.fitnyc)
Kennesaw State University (@wia.ksu)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (@wia_kpu_2024)
Laguna College of Art and Design (@wia.lcad)
Lipscomb University (@wia.lipscombuni)
Loyola Marymount University (@wia.lmu)
Moore College of Art and Design (@mooreaniclub)
NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) (@wia.nait)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (@wia.njit)
New Mexico State University (@wia.nmsu)
Purdue University (@wia.purdue)
Ringling College of Art and Design (@wia.rcad)
San Jose State University (@wia_sjsu)
Savannah College of Art and Design (@wia_scad)
School of Visual Arts (SVA) (@wia_sva)
Seneca Polytechnic (@wia.seneca)
State University of New York at Fredonia (SUNY Fredonia) (@wia.sunyfredonia)
Tarrant County College District- Southeast (@wia.tccd)
Texas A&M University (@wia_tamu)
The New School (@wia.tnscollective)
Tufts University (@wia_tufts)
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) (@usfqanimacion)
University of Central Florida (@wia.ucf )
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (@carolina.aniano)
University of Southern California (@wia.usc)
William Paterson University