Walt Disney Internship

There are actually three separate internships with the Walt Disney Company. The first two are called the Disney College Program and are based either at Walt Disney World in Orlando or Walt Disney Land in California. They are the same program just in different parks and the details of each program are slightly different. The third of the internships offered through the Disney Company is a Professional internship. All three programs are paid internships.

The College Program specifically offers some unique experiences verses other internship programs. As with any internship this program will get your foot in the door with a multi-national and well established company providing numerous opportunities for networking, meeting different students from all over the world, as well as career exploration. It is paid, as well as offers housing and some pretty sweet benefits such as free admission to the parks for yourself and a few friends. The Company also provides free transportation to and from the parks as well as a few different locations in the area such as to Wal-Mart or another grocery store but having your own vehicle is allowed as well. It is a full time position but you have a 5 day week with 2 days off to do whatever you would like whether that is laying by the pool, going into the parks with friends and family, or utilizing other utilities the company provides for you.

In regards to the different positions the Program has to offer there is a wide range covering almost all majors. I initially was a hostess at a full service restaurant and then picked up a second position dealing with the restaurant deposits and the safe in the restaurant. It was a lot of responsibility but a learning experience as well. It's not a program I would recommend to everyone, not everyone is cut out for the same experience. However, it is definitely worth looking into and a wonderful experience with a very diverse company.

If you have further questions please post them below in a response and I will add more detail as to what you are interested in.

Study Abroad Group Returns Home

"June 10 Professors Boggs and Davis returned to the Chircago airport with the 17 EIU students who spent the previous studying in Europe. Dr. Davis returned fom Brussels with student Jackie Alexander (who had to obtain a new passport due to leaving hers in Spain) and Dr. Boggs returned from Rome with the 16 other students. Jackie did not get to travel to Italy, and she was greatly missed by her classmates and professors.

Thankfully, despite being tired, everyone returned to the USA in good spirits, good health, and on time. Sadly, the same cannot be said about everyone's luggage! Despite a long layover in Detroit, Dr. Boggs' and about seven students' luggage did not make it to Chicago after the group changed planes. A few simple, but valuable lessons one might take from these experiences are to: (1) make copies of important documents, and (2) put a toothbrush, change of clothes, and anything important in your carry-on luggage when traveling across borders.

Overall, the study abroad program was a great success! A valuable learning experience and fun time was had by all. Now, to finish the papers and grading... "

Dr. David Boggs

Study abroad students gather at the Trevi Fountain in Rome after a weekend of travel.

The girls with roses at the farewell dinner in Rome (Samantha is holding a rose for Jackie).

Get LinkedIn or Be LockedOut

A revolutionary new way of connecting with professionals and scanning the job market has remained almost completely unheard of in the student community at EIU.  This networking tool is known as LinkedIn.  This site can be thought of as similar to Facebook, but caters to the developing and seasoned professional alike.  The setup is easy and free.  You create a profile, add a pic if you want, and display your accomplishments to-date.  Only a student with not much experience?  It doesn't matter, other professional on the site often like to scan the up-and-coming graduates for internships or even job placements.

I have used LinkedIn since it first came out (early 2006) and I cannot count the number of new people I met that I am now close friends with, business connections made and job offers given to me.  There is really no reason someone should not create a profile, simply due to the fact that it is free and if you do not wish to update or create a full-blown profile, you don't have to.  You can search for professionals in 'like' fields, join relevant groups in your area or out and be advised to additional networking events that are coming up.

As the pun in the title suggests, its only to your advantage to start utilizing free resources available, like LinkedIn, or else be left out of the loop. 

Paris, France

Disneyland, Paris!!

Eiffel Tower

She's still there!!

Copy Cat version for the French

And what trip to Paris from Holland would be complete without a crepe and a beer?!

D.J. and Marcus

Barcelona, Spain

Hola! We arrived in Barcelona in one piece! We “trained” it from Maastricht to Charleroi and then we took a shuttle bus to the airport. We had to take a taxi from the airport to our hostel because we couldn’t figure out the bus system. When we got to our hostel we had to walk up the longest path up the steepest hill that we have encountered on this trip. Since we were all exhausted this trek did not help much. When we got in, the front desk, in this beautiful looking hostel, helped us a lot. We thought that we got lucky and booked the fanciest hostel that Spain had to offer, but we were wrong. They did not let any noise occur after 10 pm, but let children scream and run around at 6:30 in the morning.

The first night in Barcelona was one to remember. We went down the famous Las Rambalas Street only to find that it was covered with prostitutes and drug dealers after midnight. We thought that since Barcelona just won the European Cup that it would be the most exciting place in Europe, but it was sadly disappointed.

Things changed the next day, when we went on a walking tour of the city. We got to see how the city cleaned up a lot before they hosted the Olympics in 1992, and the place where Pablo Picasso was discovered. All of us were very surprised by how Barcelona had turned into such a fascinating destination.

After the tour we felt like relaxing so we all headed to the beach! This beach was not like any beach that we have ever been to because every 10 seconds someone is coming up to you trying to sell you beer, massages, flowers, or fruit. At first we found it convenient, but after awhile when you are trying to just lay down, it becomes annoying. After a day at the beach (Ryan it is time to get up now) and a nice dinner by the Mediterranean Sea, we were all ready to hit the hay.



The next day our group went home on a later flight that came in late and we missed the last train back to Maastricht. That night instead of being intelligent and getting a hostel to stay in, we decided to live like bums and stay the night in the train station. For most of us this seemed very uncomfortable, but we learned that we can survive and it gives us a great story to tell our friends. The next morning we came home, and thought that Barcelona was a fun city that was different culturally than any other place that we have been to.

PS. Mom, now we can cook!

Jackie, Sarah, Brenton, Jim, Ryan, Taisha, Jen, Basia, Jerelliah, Kyrie

Amsterdam

Our first impression of the city of Amsterdam came from the kindness of one of its citizen, who offered her guidance when we were looking at the map and trying to figure out where to go. We were both amazed at the kindness of the people and how eager they were to help even when help was not requested.

After we got situated, our first stop was at the Heineken Brewery where we went on a tour of the facilities and got a presentation on how the company was developed, what goes into the brewing processes, the companies focus on marketing, and the core values of the company, which include respect, enjoyment, and passion for quality.

Our next stop was at the canals where we took a boat tour of the city. We got a a good view of the city and understanding its history.

The following day, before we left, we went to the Rijks museums. The Rijks museum is located in a beautiful 1863 building called the Cuypers' building. Within the building the museum contains a large collection of Asian art, and the largest collection of Dutch art from the Golden Age including: Jacob van Ruysdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt.

Jesse Burtron & Mark Logunetz