A Cut Above

Looking back, it was no Mickey Mouse job, says Kim Oellerich, a Horticulture major in Penn State’s College of Ag Sciences. She learned a lot and had a great time interning last summer at Disney World and Epcot Center in Florida. “I’m really glad I went because it was a life-changing experience,” says the junior from Matamoros, Pa.

As part of the internship, Oellerich worked in Epcot and three resorts surrounding the park. “We worked on different crews,” says Oellerich. “We had turf crews, shrub crews and yacht- and beach-club-maintenance crews. I worked on all of them. I mowed lawns, took care of flower beds and garden ponds and cleaned up around the resorts.”

Working in the park, Oellerich gained a real-world horticultural perspective that she believes will benefit her career. But it wasn’t all work, and she spent time with interns who came from different countries, such as Haiti, England and Ecuador. “I met many different people from different backgrounds,” she says. “Everyone was really nice. The kids from Haiti even taught me how to speak some French Creole.”

In her free time, Oellerich went to the Disney parks with her new friends. “We had free passes to Disney, so most of the interns would just hang out at the parks.”