Happy Wednesday, Hounds! Today we are highlighting Caroline McDonough, an MBA student and Assumption alum! Caroline spent her fall semester in Orlando, Florida as an intern in the Disney College Program, gaining hands-on experience in the hospitality industry! During her undergraduate career, Caroline was a Communications and Media Studies major and is now pursuing an MBA in Management to pursue her goal of working for an entertainment company, like Disney, in her future career. Read the blog below to learn more about Caroline’s internship.
Caroline McDonough
Describe a typical day as an intern. What are your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities?
Every day as an intern for the Walt Disney Company is a new adventure. I worked on three different attractions as a Disney Intern: The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, and The Journey of Water Inspired by Moana. I was responsible for ride operations, MCing a Comedy show, as well as ensuring the safety of 3000 guests per hour. I also had the opportunity to take classes during the internship so some days I would take Disney Leadership and Marketing classes taught by different members of the Disney Company.
Describe any major projects or accomplishments you were involved in.
A major accomplishment I achieved during my internship was being selected to be on the Opening Team for Disney’s Newest attraction, The Journey of Water inspired by Moana. This is a unique experience for interns to be trained and able to work at an opening attraction at Disney. I was so grateful to be a part of that team and work on the ride’s opening day. I also earned my “Mousesters” for completing a Disney Leadership class in which I learned how Disney trains their leaders and how I can apply Disney Leadership values and techniques to my professional career.
What are your career goals? How will this internship help you reach those goals?
I hope to work for a major media company such as Disney, or ESPN, and this internship was a great first step. I was able to network within the Disney Company and learn a lot of important life skills that I can apply to my professional career.
What are your key takeaways from your experience? What skills did you gain from this internship?
I have learned a lot of great leadership and customer service skills from this internship. I learned how to best lead and work with people who have different working styles as me, as well as how to best work with customers to resolve conflict.
When working for Disney it is your job to ensure that you are providing the best experience for the guest as possible. When guests are having a bad experience, I applied the tools I learned to help them to the best of my ability, and often improve their day by making a magical moment for them. Also, at Disney you are working with a team of Cast members at your location; you learn to work well with people who have different working styles and build off of each other’s strengths to work well as a team.
Why did you apply to this internship? What aspects of the position/company interest you?
I applied to this internship because I thought it was a great networking and learning opportunity. Disney Program offers so many classes, networking events, and professional advising that can help prepare you for whatever career field you are entering.
How has your Assumption experience prepared you for this internship?
Through campus involvement, such as being an Orientation Leader and a Campus Activity board executive, I gained the leadership and problem-solving fundamentals I needed to succeed in this internship.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to participate in an internship?
If you are considering applying to an internship or are not sure what your next steps are, I would apply to a Disney Internship program. It is a great way to meet people from all around the world, and Disney Programs offer a lot of great classes, lectures, and more that will help you prepare for your professional career in whatever field you enter.
Are you interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds? Email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu.
