Disney Snaps Up Two Quinsigamond Community College Students for High Profile Internships

Worcester, MA – January 16, 2014 – Quinsigamond Community College announces that two current students, Philippe Berry and Kristen McAuliffe, were recently selected by the Disney College Internship Program to intern for seven months on location at Disney World in Orlando, FL.

Philippe Berry, a Holden resident, is majoring in General Studies at QCC with an eye toward a teaching career, while Ms. McAuliffe, also a General Studies major, is from West Boylston and is considering career options in early childhood education. 

QCC’s Career Placement Services Office has a wide variety of resources to assist students with identifying career opportunities, including internship options for students looking to gain more experience in a certain field - the Disney College Internship Program is one such option.  14 Students from QCC applied for the program that selected only Mr. Berry and Ms. McAuliffe.

The Disney College Internship selection process is rigorous and highly competitive.  To be eligible to apply from QCC, students must have completed 24 credits toward a program with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, attend an informational session and meet one-on-one with a career placement representative. Professional staff guide and advise students through-out the process, which can often be nerve-wracking for applicants as well as QCC staff.  Nichole Wheeler, QCC’s Career Placement Representative who managed Mr. Berry’s internship application for Disney College is excited about Mr. Berry and Ms. McAuliffe’s opportunity, saying “I’m so proud of their accomplishment. Since getting to know both Phil and Kristen through the application process, I know how very deserving they both are. We’re [QCC] all so happy for them and can’t wait to follow their experiences.”

Disney College receives thousands of applications, world-wide every year and the selection process starts with on-line interviews, culminating in a final telephone interview.  Interns are placed in jobs through-out the park based on interest and aptitude and receive nine college credits to participate. Mr. Berry will be placed in Food and Beverage and will be required to complete coursework relative to the internship while a QCC faculty-member monitors his progress. Mr. Berry will also maintain a blog for QCC faculty, staff and fellow students to follow his progress.  Ms. McAuliffe will be placed in a merchandising job and has plans to assist Mr. Berry with the blog. They are, in fact, a couple.  The odds of both being accepted are astronomical; Ms. McAuliffe was the first of the pair to learn of her acceptance while Mr. Berry endured a tense wait. He credits Ms. McAuliffe with “amazing support and constant encouragement” in all he does and says, “We’re off on the experience of a lifetime, together! What could be better?”