Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2002)
THE BATTALION 3A Friday, April 5, 2002 ARNING THEIR EARS tudents mix business with pleasure through Disney internshi n page 1A By Lindsey Fielder THE BATTALION -ies will help ;ms. ■ Brittney Spell, a junior accounting major, knows what it means ■incorporate a childhood memory into a college opportunity. Spell ^^Jrticipated in the Walt Disney World College Program for six .‘partmentissiieiB^ths j n 2001, giving her the chance to work in Orlando and possession ofim e j ve college credit at the same time. ted approxima:;B“i decided to go to Walt Disney World because I had always tber said the .|| ove( j vacationing there when I was little, and because I needed a jail s capacity. p e f rorn regular classes,” Spell said. when people :■ jhe b est tiling about working at Disney World, Spell said, was get- m, use false ii!;Mg t0 see firsthand how a giant international corporation operates, drinks to irfl “j would recommend the college program to others because it is ■ excellent way to learn about people from all over the world,” holds 38 peopkfcpgii sa jd. I, Barber said■ Sp e n who worked as a lifeguard at Disney’s All-Star Resort, his year. WearMdthe opportunity to see exactly how important her job was one )re people, ra: poi night. “1 noticed some kids struggling in the middle of the pool, so I mped in to get them. 1 brought all three of them to the safety side the pool,” she said. “Even though I was freezing and all of my bthes were soaking wet, it was the first time I realized how impor- pt my job was.” Hilary Barlow, a senior political science major, heard about the liege program from her discussion group leader at Fish Camp, ne year later, she decided to attend the mandatory meeting. lost the infonnation on where to be, and then, randomly, I ran to my DG leader on the day of the presentation. She knew where leave your; meeting was and that’s where it all started,” Barlow said. Working as a hostess in a restaurant in the Magic Kingdom :lped Barlow see how customer satisfaction can make or break company. “Employee empowerment is a powerful tool for a company,” she site should be alltlaid. “If someone was dissatisfied with something, 1 had the power nins on the groun^ofix it without having to check with my boss first.” Aside from the serious aspects of the job, the “happiest place on arth” has a fun side as well. Because Disney employees perform :ertain roles while on duty, every employee wears a costume instead nough enforcemi ofauniform. Barlow said wearing her assigned costume led to funny moments when kids would ask for her autograph. “They have autograph books for little kids to get the autographs have a team of. fiomall the characters. Well, everyone wears a costume, so kids ■ attended to y e ;, would come up and ask for my autograph,” she said. “Kids were ■ exciteti aW; cow/iced you were someone from a movie.” and happy w ^ dWents who participate in the college program can receive me, but youi'*' incidents) at?* 1 iid. “Anythin? m’t want toss i vds grow and i es, along with two years ago. ccidents. but of to the accident to heavy traffic accidents were d tickets fordtri ere issued ink ge number of p£ ;r giving citation! it belts," Barber.' enormous amoii enforcement ad: c-and-nde option and safe even; a junior agronoif college credit for the time they spend at Disney World. Different colleges offer varying credits for the internship. The best thing Barlow said she gained from her internship was the reactions from employers and interviewers — especially during a recent interview for a summer internship. Once the inter viewer noticed Barlow’s Disney experience listed on her resume, he said she was the girl they were look ing for. “My interview was over after they saw Disney on my resume. They just started asking me about my internship with Disney, and they never even fin ished the questions they had prepared to ask,” Barlow said. “I got that internship.” Rachel Anderson, a senior agricultural devel opment major, also said the Disney internship can add a competitive edge to a student’s resume. “The college program benefits every major and is beneficial no matter what you want to do,” she said. Anderson said the best thing about working for Disney was get ting to meet people from all around the world. “Being at Disney gave me the opportunity to network with many of the Disney business officials as well as make friends all over the U.S. and the world,” she said. “It is so neat to know that no matter what state you are in, you will probably know some one from there.” Anderson also said she made the best friends of her life while working at Disney World. Visits may be few and far between, but she said she will always be close to the people she met at Disney. “The roommates 1 had and the peo ple that I worked with, I now consider my closest friends even though we may not see each other often,” she said. In addition to networking benefits, Barlow said her internship provided a taste of real-world experience and education. After returning to A&M from her Disney internship, Barlow said much of what her management professor discussed in class related to her experiences at Disney World. “IMy professor] would start to talk about a topic, and I thought to myself, T know exactly what you’re talking about already,’ ” Barlow said. “It was much more effective learning about things such as employee empowerment in a seminar and then see how it was practiced in the workplace, rather than just learning about it in a classroom.” I w lit T£ mm Say P L A T IN U M “Never cecuie to amaze her Alwayo exceed her mm* * jm" ' " • » / greatest expectations W Shop on-line at www.varsityford.net VARSITY FORD Hundreds of 02% 01 s andpre-owned to choose from Check out our specials on ALL trucks. Explorers, Mustangs and Focus College Grad and 1st Time Buyer Program for Internet Users Questions? E-mail us at ross@varsityford.net 3^ Jvf ..X* ■A!*-'...-' i 1 * Mp & Iavk Iner'S Jewelers ♦ Gemologists 522 University Drive E • Between The Suit Club and Audio-Video • 764-8786 Annual Fay Lecture Series in Analytical Psychology “Memories of Our Lost Hands: Searching for Feminine Spirituality and Creativity” Sonoko Toyoda Friday, April 5 Opening Reception:5-6:30p.m. Introduction to Lecture Series by TAMU President Dr. Ray Bowen Introduction to Lecture Series by Sonoko Toyoda Banquet & Entertainment (6:30-9:00p.m.) All Friday functions will held at: Texas A&M University Clayton Williams, Jr. Alumni Center Saturday, April 6 Lecture 1: The Story of the Handless Maiden 9-10:30a.m. Lecture 2: Hands as Symbols of Feminine Creativity 1 l-12:30p.m. Sunday, April 7 Lecture 3: Hands as Symbols of Feminine Spirituality 9-10:30a.m. Lecture 4: The Way to Recover Our Lost Hands ll-12:30p.m. All lectures held at Texas A&M University, Memorial Student Center Rooms 205 & 206 TICKETS at MSC Box Office: Students & Sr. Citizens: $4 per lecture $12 four lectures Adults: $7 per lecture $24 four lectures For additional information on the Fay Lectures call: 845-0477