Many people place visiting Disney World in Orlando, Florida on their bucket list. Two Longwood students will get to place it on their resume. Senior Daria Hoobchaak and junior Kelly O'Connor were both selected for the Disney College Program.
Hoobchaak saw a poster advertising the pro- gram her freshman year and considered doing it. She found out a student was eligible after graduation, not just during undergraduate education, so she went for the program.
O'Connor, Hoobchaak's roommate, heard about the program in high school but didn't decide to go for it until Hoobchaak said she was applying.
Both had to go through a three-part interview process. They each had to fill out an application, do a web-based interview and a phone interview. Hoobchaak and O'Connor got into the program within two weeks of each other.
"I've always been a big fan of Disney. I'm a child at heart. I thought it would be a really good experience to work for Disney and work for a re- ally great company," said Hoobchaak. O'Connor added the fact that Disney is a Fortune 500 company was a draw for her.
Hoobchaak and O'Connor are experiencing a mixture of excitement and nerves as they look to move to Florida. O'Connor explains that although college gives some levels of independence, mov- ing 18 hours away will be a true chance to be on her own.
The ladies will be moving to Florida June 11 and will complete the program on January 2. Hoob- chaak is graduating from Longwood in May and is looking to pursue a career at Disney upon the completion of the program. O'Connor is a liberal studies major and will return to Longwood to complete her degree afterwards.
O'Connor explained she had to withdraw from the university and fill out a form explaining she would be re-enrolling. When she returns, she will have to complete student teaching at Longwood and at home to finish her degree. She will be graduating a semester late, but she feels like the opportunity is worth it.
They each will be paid for the program, and their housing costs will be deducted from the pay. The pay rates are different depending on the type of job the applicant receives. Hoobchaak will be working retail in a store in
the park, and O'Connor will be working concierge at a resort. O'Connor has had experience in a resort before and is looking forward to adding this experience to her resume.
There are approximately 3,000 students enrolled in the program from all over the world. Hoob- chaak and O'Connor will be living together and will receive other roommates, but they will not meet these roommates until they move in.
Hoobchaak and O'Connor feel like that have a great deal of support from their families and friends as they take this next step. Hoobchaak said her parents are a little sad she is going so far away, but they are really excited for her overall.
O'Connor's parents want to make sure she keeps graduation on her priority list, but they also told her to go for it because she would regret the op- portunity if she didn't.
The ladies will be spending the holidays at Dis- ney as well. They predict it will be sad to be away from their families on some levels, but they are both excited to spend the holidays at Disney and pointed out that they will be returning to Virginia right after the holidays. They are looking forward to free admission to the park on their days off as well as sharing discounts with their family.
Hoobchaak and O'Connor had advice to share with students chasing their own dream internship. "Stay positive and smile. They want to see that you are hard working and get along with people. They want to see that you have teamwork abili- ties," said Hoobchaak.
"Apply as early as possible," said O'Connor. "Talk about the 'Disney Difference' or something special that goes beyond the normal, everyday thing," she added.
Both Hoobchaak and O'Connor are looking forward to the wide range of experiences and meeting a diverse group of people from different countries and cultures. "[I'm looking forward to] being really far away from home and immersing myself. I hope it helps my teaching ability to give everyone the Disney experience," said O'Connor.
Added Hoobchaak, "I want to make everyone feel the imagination of Disney and make them feel like it's real and it's alive."
