Our Alumni in the News...

Interns share in the magic, opportunities

By Poorvi Kalaria, Staff Reporter
Purdue Exponent - Independent Daily Student Newspaper
Publication Date: 10/05/07

On Monday and Tuesday, several students attended the Disney College Program callout to learn how they, like the over 70,000 students before them, can get involved.

Every day, students participating in the program are able to enjoy the feeling of knowing they are bringing a smile to a child's face.

This is how Liz O'Connor, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts, describes her experience with the Disney College Program in Spring 2006.

"It was just fun living with a ton of other college students," she said. "Disney attracts bright, fun students. It was the time of my life."

The paid internship in Orlando, Fla., offers students the chance to gain real world experience while living in apartments at the park and taking classes for college credit.

Frank Garofalo, president of the Disney College Program Alumni Association of Purdue, said the program is a resume booster.

He also noted that students can gain a lot of customer service experience and have the ability to attend professional development series. These include seminars with topics such as marketing skills and sales.

Garofalo, who participated in the program from May 2005 to January 2006, also mentioned that students are given the opportunity to learn how to take care of themselves.

"You're away from your parents," said Garofalo, a senior in the College of Technology, "so you gain that real world experience of living on your own."

O'Connor, who restructured the internal communication processes for the monorail team while at Disney, said one of the most significant ways she benefited from the experience was learning what it was like to work in the business world.

"I made a difference in a Fortune 100 company," she said. "It's great working somewhere where you're making magic and making dreams come true."

The internship is available to all full-time and part-time students who are at least 18 years old. It is open to all majors.

If students were unable to attend the callout, they can still apply at www.disneycollegeprogram.com. Additional callouts will be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 and 7 in Mechanical Engineering Room 117.

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