As she grew older, MacPherson made sure to keep herself informed about the Disney College Program throughout her high school and college years.

Last spring, she worked as a hostess and helped guests make the “magical moments” that defined her childhood.

Every semester, an informative session about the program is offered at various locations on campus. Students are encouraged to sign up for five or six-month internships at the Orlando, Fla., or the Anaheim, Calif., location.

Animal science freshman Sarah Mitchell attended an informational session Thursday in the Engineering Building to solidify her decision to apply. One of her interests in the program started because of her love for animals.

“My favorite thing would be to get involved and work with animals,” Mitchell said. “Making people laugh and enjoying it with the animals would be perfect.”

The internship offers Disney-related classes for credit, such as the history of Disney. Students can get internship credit with the program, but should check with advisers to see if they can get separate credit for the classes it offers, Experiential Learning & On-Campus Internship Coordinator Bill Morgan said.

Although the program can help build résumés and is a hands-on internship, students should examine their class schedules before making the commitment to Disney, Morgan said.

“It’s going to depend on the student and what works for them and how it fits their college plans,” Morgan said. “For the students at the junior and senior level, it’s going to be tricky. Talk to your adviser, it may throw off your class track off a year.”

To make the internship work for her school schedule, Mitchell plans to take summer classes.

“Since it’s full time, the classes may interfere with events,” Mitchell said.

MacPherson decided not to take classes during her spring 2011 internship at Disney to have a more relaxed experience.

“I wanted to feel refreshed, and I needed a break from school,” MacPherson said.

Internship positions range from various guest services to greeters and Disney character actors. Students can apply online and go through a three-step process to get the internship.

Along with having good customer service, applicants are expected to have the Disney look.

“The Disney look is very classic and timeless,” MacPherson said. “If you were to look at a picture of a person right now, you wouldn’t know what time period they were from.”