WordPress and Higher Education: An Alliance that Transforms

An Agreement that Opens New Paths

At the Faculty of Computer Science of Universidad Fidélitas, we have taken a historic step: we signed an agreement with the WordPress FoundationWordPress Foundation The WordPress Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Matt Mullenweg to further the mission of the WordPress open source project: to democratize publishing through Open Source, GPL software. Find more on wordpressfoundation.org., turning our Computer Science students into key players in a global experience. Thanks to this partnership, every student will have the opportunity to complete an official internship through WP Credits, directly connecting with the WordPress community and its impact-driven projects.

This agreement reflects a deep conviction: higher education must be tied to the real digital ecosystem, with experiences that prepare students for jobs and to become agents of change within global tech communities.

The Birth of the WordPress Campus Connect San José 2025

To celebrate this alliance, we organized the first WordPress Campus Connect in San José, Costa Rica, from September 23 to 25, 2025.

This event marked a milestone as the first WordPress Campus Connect held in Latin America within a university, open to participation from any individual who was a university student, regardless of their field of study or academic level, and carried out in a three-day hackathon format. Throughout the event, participants engaged in hands-on workshops, received direct mentorship, and took part in the WordPress HackLab, a competition designed to transform ideas into digital products with real societal impact.

The Workshops: Learning with Energy and Creativity

The heart of Campus Connect lies in the eight workshops that guided students step by step in building their projects:

1. From Zero to Website in 90 Minutes – How to quickly start and launch a functional site.
2. Your Digital Empire, Brick by Brick – Strategic construction of a solid, scalable website.
3. Think Like a Rebel: Create Without Asking Permission – Fearless innovation, exploring creative freedom with design thinking.
4. Let’s Dress Up: Branding that Hypnotizes – Keys to visual identity and branding to stand out online.
5. Secret Vitamins for Your Website: What WordPress Doesn’t Tell You – Advanced tips and features to power up any site.
6. So Engaging They’ll Read with Eyes Closed – Strategies for clear, persuasive, and AI-enhanced content.
7. Houston, We Have a Website! (Go Live) – How to move a project from testing to production.
8. Your Story on Fire (and in 3 Acts) – Digital storytelling and impactful project presentations.

These workshops were not only technical but also creative and strategic, showing students that WordPress is a living, open, and limitless ecosystem.

The Challenge: “Reconnecting the Human”

The central competition of the event was the WPCC 2025 Challenge: Reconnecting the Human.

The challenge stemmed from a paradox: we have never been so digitally connected, yet we have never felt so lonely. In response, teams had to create a digital product, presented in WordPress, that strengthens in-person human relationships within the university or local community.

The proposals were aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 10, and 11) and ESG principles. Within this framework:

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) encouraged initiatives to strengthen emotional health and reduce loneliness.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) inspired inclusive and accessible solutions for the entire community.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) motivated proposals to rescue traditions and foster coexistence in public spaces.

At the same time, ESG principles framed the action plan: environmental care, positive social impact, and ethical, participatory governance. WordPress became the showcase to tell the story of the problem, the value proposition, the digital product, and the expected impact.

The Organizing Team: The Force Behind the Event

None of this would have been possible without the dedication of a passionate organizing team that brought this first WordPress Campus Connect to life:

• @ritaroblesloaiza – Lead Organizer
• @Elineth Morera Campos – Volunteers and Jury
• @RositaPQ11 – Challenge Design and Creation
• @Cely Cruz – Content and Social Media
• @nicolegomez – Logistics and Coordination
• @yiqi Xie – Logistics and Coordination
• @Nazareth – Content and Social Media

They were responsible for transforming a vision into a real experience, coordinating workshops, mentorsEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues., logistics, communication, and every detail to make the event shine.

WordPress Club Fidélitas and Its Podcast

Another historic milestone was the official founding of the WordPress Club Fidélitas, a permanent space where students, faculty, and the community can come together to learn, share, and contribute to the WordPress ecosystem.

As part of this initiative, the Club’s podcast was launched, where we will talk about:

• WordPress and its impact on the global web.
• Technological innovation applied to education.
• Academic and community experiences from Fidélitas.

This podcast will serve as a bridge between academia and the international WordPress community, amplifying the voices of our students and their projects.

You can listen to the podcast here: WordPress Club Fidélitas on Spotify

A Starting Point, Not the Destination

The WordPress Campus Connect San José and the agreement with the WordPress Foundation are just the beginning.

Every student who participates in this program will take with them not only technical WordPress skills but also the experience of belonging to a global community, working with purpose, and using technology to generate human impact.

Inspiring Transformation

With this event, we proved that a university can be innovative, close, and global at the same time.

The invitation is clear: to keep dreaming, creating, and reconnecting the human through technology. Because when academia and community walk together, the impossible becomes reality.

#campus-connect, #costa-rica, #fidelitas, #wpcredits