Elizabethtown College sophomore biology major and psychology minor Kathryn Black has been accepted to the Disney Program. 

The Disney Program is an opportunity to work for Disney while staying at the Flamingo Crossing Village Resort. It is a paid job, but students are expected to pay for housing. 

Black will be there from January to July 2022.

To get into the program Black had to apply. 

“I also was sent an email to apply that said, ‘you should apply for this,’ but you didn’t need the email in order to apply,” Black said.

The process of applying was similar to any other job. First she had to turn in an application and past work experience, then sit through interviews. She doesn’t know what she will be doing in the program yet and will not find out until she gets down there. All she knows is it will be something related to her major or minor.

“There’s a lot that can be done with psychology. Main Street chooses which scent to pump out for example popcorn to draw in more people…[the scent] is not strong enough in shops to overpower [the artificial scent]. There’s also studies showing trash cans every so many feet help prevent littering,” Black said.

Before leaving Black has to put in a leave of absence from the College, as she will not be taking any classes during her time at Disney. Other tasks she has to do prior to going include packing and picking roommates and a place to live.

Black is excited to have the opportunity to work at Disney as that was always her dream. 

“I’m 19 and I’ve definitely been [to Disney] more than 19 times. Disney is my life,” Black said. 

Her parents have a pass that allows them to visit multiple times throughout a year.

Black worked at Six Flags, which will help her at Disney. She noted one difference between being a cast member at the two. 

“My old job I had to buy everything, but Disney provides everything except for shoes,” Black said. 

Disney also has more rules to follow than Six Flags.

Black is excited for her upcoming trip to Disney and it is all she can think about. 

“I love Disney. I always said I’d work for them at some point and this is a great opportunity to do that,” Black said.

The Disney College Program first began in 1981. While it was temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek restarted it in 2021. For more information on the program, see Disney’s website: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/disney-programs.