Written by Eve Katz, Graphic by Tyler Lowe
I have been watching videos about the Disney College Program (DCP) since my early middle school years. The program has been running since 1981 and a simple search on YouTube will bring up countless videos of graduates of the program spilling secrets about the interview process along with their most interesting guest stories. I have been diligently preparing, hanging on every word of advice I could pick up, and I finally planned to interview for the Spring 2021 program. Right as I made that decision, the world ended. Or at least, COVID-19’s hold on the United States began.
The cancellation of the Disney College Program is one of many disruptions that 2020 brought to the theme park industry, but with COVID-19 vaccines becoming more readily available to the public, the program might be coming back soon. This is good news for many students who may be struggling with the smaller pool of internships available, or those like me who have spent years planning on incorporating the program into their college experience. SCAD graduates Montserrat Garmilla, B.F.A. production design 2020, and Katelyn Ackley, B.F.A. production design 2019, both participated in the DCP and spoke on their time in the program for anyone considering interviewing for it when it returns.
The DCP is not only an opportunity to work for the Disney company, but also a chance to meet others who have similar interests and goals. “Both of my roommates [during my time in the program] and some of my coworkers are people that are still a part of my life today and will be for a very long time,” Garmilla said. “It’s crazy to think six total strangers that were looking for roommates on a Facebook page would all get along so great and become best friends, but we did. We take a big reunion trip every year and still try and see each other every chance we get. One of them even came to visit me in Charleston this past weekend.”
Ackley, who was hired by Walt Disney Imagineering as a graphic fabrication design intern the year after her program, was able to learn more about the technical language associated with attractions, and how those attractions worked, during her time working as an attractions cast member for Living with the Land and Circle of Life in Epcot in spring 2017. “I learned a lot more about how theme parks truly run and operate from an internal level, which is something I didn’t fully know prior to my program,” said Ackley. “Understanding more of the terms used in the industry is always a helpful thing to know and learn, whether it’s internal operations in the parks or behind the scenes on the design side.”
Garmilla also interned for Imagineering under project management after working as an attractions hostess for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in spring 2017. Many who want to work for Disney view the DCP as the first step to do so. While doing the DCP is by no means a requirement to later do a professional internship or secure a full-time job with Disney, it is a popular choice among those who want to want to head in that direction. “Everything you learn [in the program] can be applicable to you in the future, regardless of where you want to end up,” Garmilla said. “When I went back to Disney as a professional intern, two of my roommates had also previously done the college program. One was in merchandise and now works in PR for a large retail brand, and the other was a seater and is now an event manager at Disney World full time. They might not seem related at all, but the chance to work for a respected company and learn from other cast members is not something you should pass up.”
Although theme parks can seem “magical” due to the amount of work that goes into developing and maintaining the atmosphere within them, working in the Disney parks is by no means easy. “I definitely wish I would have known fully that working at Disney and in theme parks isn’t always pixie dust and magical times,” said Ackley. “There are definitely rough days, but there are also great days with some great memory-making moments that make the experience as a whole worth it.” Any job relying on customer service requires a good deal of tolerance, and maintaining such a large and well-known theme park is no small feat. Those who want to apply to the program should make sure that they’re passionate about theme parks and ready for the commitment.
“Some days are long and you will be tired, but what you get out of every day has to do with what you choose to put in,” Garmilla said. “Remember that even though you have said ‘Ahoy!’ a thousand times at the entrance to an attraction, every person that walks by is hearing it for the first time, so try and personalize tasks that may seem repetitive and you will find they will be so much more fun.”
Disney places a lot of emphasis on the happiness of customers. Visiting their theme parks is an experience that many look forward to for years, the memories cherished for a lifetime. Those experiences start, of course, with the theme parks themselves, but are made even more magical by the dedicated cast members. “Sometimes one small gesture or a silly joke would make people light up,” Garmilla said. “One time I had a full sword fight with a little boy in the pirates plaza (he won of course), those memories were so much fun to create and they still make me smile. After that, I knew I wanted to make people smile like that for the rest of my life.”
