“Getting an internship is vital, and doing it now even while attending Cerritos College is important,” former Cerritos College alumni and guest speaker, Jennifer Arenas, said during a Disney Internship Workshop held on Thursday, Feb. 16.

The workshop offered students a step-by-step guide on how to apply to various internships The Walt Disney Company has to offer at its theme park locations in Anaheim, CA and Orlando, FL.

Officially named The Disney College Program, the internship provides students who have a peak interest in working with The Walt Disney Company after their collegiate journey, with the opportunity to network and build relationships with fellow peers and colleges while participating in the program.

Students have the option of taking Disney-related courses while attending the internship, that will mold participants to doing things “The Disney Way,”, but are required to take employment there, to pay for housing and personal expenses.

Arenas, who took part in the program while taking an academic leave during her time at CSULB, stressed the importance of students getting out of their comfort zone and trying something completely radical like taking an internship all the way on the other side of the country.

“Not only will you get to meet people from all walks of life,” she said, “and go on an adventure away from home, at the same, if you are interested in working for Disney, this is the perfect platform to guide you to a career with the company.”

On the importance of internships as a whole, Arenas says, “People that don’t have those internships, at least with my peers and in my graduating class, haven’t really had much luck in getting a corporate or professional role in the major of interest that they chose, because they simply didn’t network or intern at all while in college.”

Career Counselor Clara Ross-Jones, who co-hosted the workshop with Arenas, agrees with her on the significant impact an internship can have on a student while he or she still attending school, and adds she is doing her part in giving students the resources possible at Cerritos College for them to succeed.

“Students should always be working to build their resume,” she begins to say, “so we will continue to bring help to students as much as possible with career-building workshops, so that they may be motivated to join an internship while attending our school.”

Many students that were present at the workshop showed immediate interest in the internship, including undecided major, EJ Mason.

“I think this is a great option for any student,” Mason says. “It is something I would like to be a part of and recommend other students to at least have an open mind and check it out.”

For individuals interested in applying for the internship program, you can submit an application to the website jobs.disneycareers.com and select the Disney College Program section of the page.

The deadline to do so is on April 17.

Lastly, Arenas and Ross-Jones both recommend students apply to the internship in Orlando, as opposed to the one in Anaheim, because, since it’s a bigger park, they accept a higher number of applicants.