NIU student earns $15,000 scholarship, studies customer service at Disney

DEKALB – Goofy and Mickey might have the high-profile roles at Disney World, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes, too. An army of more than 60,000 employees keep Main Street USA spotless and guests in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean hydrated.

For Sycamore resident Ashlyn Gardner, who is majoring in hospitality at Northern Illinois University, working at Disney World is an opportunity to learn customer service from the best.

"I love their culture of customer service," she said.

And no, she's not working as a character.

"Even if I was, I couldn't tell you," she said. Those playing characters in the park are sworn to secrecy, she said.

Gardner has been working the front desk of the lodge, a 1,293-room, African savanna-themed resort at Disney's Animal Kingdom park, a role that she said has its own rewards. She's there to greet quests as they get off Disney's complimentary motorcoach from Orlando International Airport to the resort.

"The best part of working the front desk is being the first face people see when they get off the Magical Express," she said.

Aside from working her dream job, and earning eight credit hours doing it, Gardner also won a $15,000 scholarship from the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association Educational Foundation. The process involved writing an essay and interviews at the trade association's headquarters in Chicago. The money will go toward her final two semesters at NIU.

Customer services wasn't always Gardner's first goal at school, she said. It was a change she made when she transferred from Kishwaukee Community College in Malta to NIU. Originally, she majored in communications with the goal of going into film, but after a study abroad program that took her to Ireland, she shifted her focus.

"I realized I would love to travel," she said. Working in tourism would allow her to do that.

After she graduates from NIU this spring, Gardner plans to apply again for the Disney college program. Part of her graduation requirements is to do an internship and is earning college credit for the current semester in Florida. As did the scholarship, landing a gig at Disney World involved several steps: Gardner went through an online application, a web interview and a phone interview, then waited for a couple of weeks before she got the call that she was accepted to the program.

She said the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a four-diamond resort, based on the AAA rating system. The only reason it doesn't have five, she said, is because it allows children.

"I love resorts," Gardner said. "I'm very, very blessed."

Source: NIU student earns $15,000 scholarship, studies customer service at Disney