30th Anniversary History Book

BEACON STUDENT EARNS INTERNSHIP AT WALT

“This is the best job I’ve ever had” - Andrew Field

DISNEY WORLD

In 2015, Field became the first Beacon College student to earn an internship at Walt Disney World, spending seven months at Hollywood Studios. That opened the door for him to work full- time for Disney upon graduation. He came to Beacon from Chicago, after he and his parents had visited a half-dozen colleges across the country. Their travels led them to conclude that Beacon’s approach to education was right for Field. Though he called Beacon “a wonder ful fit for me,” his first semester did not go well. He finished with a GPA of 1.67. Like many first-year

students on campuses across the country, he spent a little too much time socializing rather than with his books. A member of the Lambda Epsilon Omega fraternity, Field reapplied himself to his studies during his second semester and reduced his commitment to parties. He got his grades back on track, eventually graduating with a 3.44 GPA in human services in spring 2016. Now 27 and living in the Celebration community in Osceola County, Fla., Field is a park greeter at Epcot, with aspirations of becoming a trainer of new hires at the attraction.

“I love seeing the families coming into the park each day and enjoying themselves. It can get very busy at times and you can have a thousand people coming at you at a time. I have figured out how to adjust to the atmosphere by making sure that everyone is in an organized line as they enter the park.” While enrolled at school, Field witnessed another step in the evolution of Beacon’s campus when the historic, brick train depot on campus — opened in 1913 — was transformed into a fitness center for students that opened in fall 2015, and another older structure, the former Social Security office, was turned into a student center.

“This is the best job I’ve ever had,” he said.

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