Dreams Really Do Come True

As tears rushed to her eyes, Madison Maniaci clicked on a link to an email that read, “You have been accepted to the Disney College Program.”

When Madison first visited Walt Disney World in 2004, she could recall her earliest memories of riding on the carousel and watching the fireworks in front of Cinderella’s castle. Little did she know, she would someday be working directly behind that very castle in Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Madison is a Lorain-native and, on her days off, spends her time volunteering as the Lorain International Festival secretary and working within the community. She first heard about the Disney College Program (DCP) her senior year of high school. After attending Lorain County Community College, she continued her studies at Kent State University to earn her bachelor’s degree in marketing.

In the fall of 2019, she applied for DCP in hopes of working for the company and was accepted for the spring and summer months of 2020.

After news spread about the pandemic, her plans changed, and she received word that, for the first time in history, Walt Disney World would shut down indefinitely.

“I figured that I would never be able to have a shot at the DCP again. That was the first time that they had ever stopped accepting college program participants even when they opened back up post-pandemic.”

After months of waiting to hear a response, in the spring of 2021, the Disney company announced it would be offering positions to DCP participants again. Madison applied and heard back from them on August 13, with a move-in arrival of September 20. Her program would last until January 13, 2022.

photo courtesy of Madison Maniaci

Once she learned that the program would be coming back, she knew she wanted to hurry and graduate to prepare for a future position within the company. After completing nine courses this past summer, she still had to take a couple more to obtain her degree—but she still managed to reach her goal.

“Being a part-time student while working almost fulltime for the company is a hard task, but I’m glad I was able to graduate early so I could get ahead in my career.”

Madison graduated with honors from Kent State University in December during the program.

Upon arriving in Florida, Madison moved into Disney’s newly-developed student housing complex and met her new roommates.

“The first week I was there felt like a fever dream. I was able to go resort-hopping, shopping shopping at Disney Springs, and even to Universal Studios in Orlando.”

The next week consisted of a few days of training and learning about her new role as a quick-service food and beverage cast member. She was selected to work in the Magic Kingdom at Pinocchio Village Haus (PVH).

“When I found out I would be working at my favorite park, I was beyond excited to see where I would be placed. And when I found out it was at PVH, I thought it was the perfect fit for me.”

She spent time in all four Disney parks on her days off, riding every ride and trying *almost* every treat. It wasn’t hard for her to start making friends, and after the first week, she had a full social calendar of events for the next couple of months.

photo courtesy of Madison Maniaci

“My roommates would always joke with me and say they never saw me because I was constantly out at the parks or on Disney property doing something.”

Madison had made a bucket list of everything she wanted to do at Disney and was able to fulfill it all.

“I was able to see every firework show, visit every resort, and ride every ride.”

Throughout her experience working for the company, she was able to gain new skills that would help her in her future endeavors. Her role allowed her to talk with thousands of people a day from all over the world.

“When working, I felt such a strong sense of inclusivity and diversity from the other cast members and guests that it made it feel like home."

photo courtesy of Madison Maniaci

"Growing up in Lorain taught me so much about other cultures that I carried that knowledge with me, and I was able to assist everyone to the best of my abilities. I even started practicing Spanish to help with some of the guests to make their experience even better.”

Madison’s advice for college students wanting to pursue a career with a Fortune 500 company like Disney is to “just do it.” She never thought she would be accepted into such a prestigious program, as only a small percentage of applicants get accepted each term.

“Working for Disney is hard work, but when I think of all the adventures I had with the friends I made and all of the long nights and days spent with my favorite coworkers, it makes it worth it. There’s no other place in the world that would allow you to watch fireworks during a shift and let you spend time in the parks on your days off."

For more information and to view applications for the upcoming term, you can visit Jobs.DisneyCareers.com.

photo courtesy of Madison Maniaci