In the wake of establishing an official partnership with the Disney College Program team in March 2018, Loyola has taken the next step in informing students of this new opportunity by holding several information sessions in a conference-based environment on campus on Jan. 23. The DCP offers the invaluable process of building a network with students from across the globe, engaging in the community with an improved business-oriented skillset, and finally the chance to participate in a real-world experience that can create the foundation for future success.

The Disney College Program is a highly renown program that selects the best students from a variety of universities across the nation. The prestige of the program attracts 25,000 applicants each year, and after an extensive review process, Disney accepts only 5,000 from the original applicant pool. However, Loyola’s new partnership with the DCP recruitment team has increased the chances of a successful application to new levels. Eileen Hiebler, Associate Director of the Career Center, stated that since Loyola “is a partner school, we have contacts and relationships and liaisons through the recruitment team at Disney.”  Members of the Career Center Connections team now have the ability to put in a good word for the applying Loyola student. At the same time, they are able to monitor the status of the Loyola student application in the DCP databases. In the past year, nine students from Loyola have been accepted into the program.

Students have the option to apply to the program at either Disney World in Orlando, Florida, or Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The DCP encompasses a five to seven month period in which the student lives on designated Disney property and works within three different realms of guest engagement, which include resort and hotel employment, operation of attractions, or food and beverage management in the various restaurants present in the Disney parks. Although these jobs tend to not be high level in nature, students gain critical life skills including problem solving, teamwork, guest service, and effective communication. “What excites me is I see so much of this lining up with our Jesuit ideals and our Jesuit vision here at Loyola,” Hiebler said when discussing the values students refine over the employment period at the DCP.

One of our very own The Greyhound alumni completed the program immediately after graduation. Nick Cirone ‘18, previous Editor in Chief of The Greyhound, double majored in Political Science and Communication specializing in journalism. From the first moment of the program, he knew it would ultimately change his life forever. “I was assigned to be a lifeguard on the DCP. I guarded at Blizzard Beach, their winter themed water park. It was pretty much the best place I could have been assigned, my coworkers became my best friends,” Nick said about his job at the DCP. “We were trained extensively in safety, first aid, water rescues, CPR, AED’s, and etc. Safety is Disney’s number one priority, in front of courtesy, show, and efficiency, all in that order. And not only in safety, but guest service, guest interaction, courtesy, all kinds of stuff related to making our guests experience as magical as possible.”

Furthermore, if the student excels in the entry jobs of the program, the student will earn recognition from the Disney leadership team. As a result, the Disney leadership team maintains the ability to connect the student with Disney leaders in a specific area of interest, such as Disney HR or marketing from potential consultations to future employment. In the case of Cirone’s experience, when he underwent the interview process with ABC News Corporation, a company owned by the Disney family, Disney was very impressed with the substantial impact he had already created within their company in the Disney College Program. “There are so many opportunities within the Disney company that I can now explore because of my experiences. It opened up so many doors for me,” Cirone stated.

All majors and years are welcome to apply to the program. Nevertheless, Loyola recommends students to apply after their graduation date due to the fact that Loyola, along with other Jesuit universities, do not accept the credits earned while in the DCP. Disney has recently adapted the program to accept applications from the moment of graduation to several months after.

“I worked with people from all over the world and I have friends from everywhere from Australia, to Thailand, to England, to South America. These people you meet are amazing and stay friends for life,” Cirone said about his unforgettable experience. “The magic of Disney isn’t in the parks themselves, it’s in the cast members who keep the magic alive.”

The DCP at Loyola University is an exciting development with the potential to fulfill many dreams of receiving employment and invaluable experience with one of the most prestigious companies of our modern society.

For further information and application opportunities, please visit https://jobs.disneycareers.com/disney-college-program

Featured Image Courtesy Of: Nick Cirone