Kyle Indingaro UWRT 1101-013
My Words Self-Literacy Project
Disney Imagineering
Throughout my life I have been engulfed with the animation and magic conveyed by Disney. As a boy, my parents would bring me to Walt Disney World and I would simply be in awe to witness all my heroes coming to life. As I continue to venture down to Orlando, Walt Disney World always brings me back to the simplicity of being a kid. The enhanced attention to detail that Disney provides at their parks has always amazed me and when faced with the question, “what do you want to do in life?” it seemed obvious to say that I wanted to work for Disney. I want to work for a company that has brought me so much joy growing up, and hopefully I can be blessed to provide that much joy to future generations of Disney fans. I have always wanted to bestow the magic of Disney on others and create something that people will never forget. A hotel, a ride, or even a simple sign that welcomes guests into the park. If I can just provide a spark of magic to a company that delivers it every day, I believe I will have accomplished my dream in life. My personal goal for literacy is to master various skills in engineering that can pilot me to become an Imagineer. I am a strong believer that anyone can accomplish anything as long as they are willing to put in the hard work. If I can overcome obstacles on my way to an engineering degree, I can obtain literacy in my field and maybe one day provide support to those who want to be Imagineers.
To become literate at something, I believe one has to perfect a specific set of skills and potentially apply those skills in their field. To be able to master a certain skill and use that skill is how one becomes literate at something. Techniques can be developed but until one has mastered that skill, they will not be literate. In college, I am sure to experience numerous classes that will provide me with skills that can be applied in the real world. Obviously I am not going to be literate at all these topics once away, but with co-op opportunities and internships I can enhance my skills and potentially sell myself to Disney for a career. When you want to work for company as pristine as Disney, you need to be at the top of your field in order to acquire a job. Top companies will not just throw out jobs to average students. You have to be the best at what you do and become literate with an arsenal of skills. When you better yourself, you have a better chance of selling yourself. With experience comes knowledge, so if I can successfully utilize an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom, I am going to hesitate to take it. If I truly want to perfect my talents I will need to be willing to work alongside others and build my skills from their experience. For example, if I can obtain a co-op from a construction firm of a smaller size compared to Disney, the experience at this firm will build a resume and also skills needed to be literate. That is the first step to become literate, being proactive and taking initiative even if it means not getting what you want immediately.
If I could ever become an Imagineer and master the skills of an engineer, I can completely change the layout of my life. I will be able to express my creative side with a global leader in creative innovation, and deliver joy to many who come through my creations. Giving that kind of happiness and excitement to others would drastically change my life. It would give meaning to my life and offer me a career I can truly enjoy. Life is not worth living unless you’re making others happy. I hope to one day walk my children through one of my creations and allow them to see what daddy has done for others. I cannot even begin to imagine the true feeling, but I do know it will be worth all the work I am putting in now.
As soon as I knew I wanted to be an Imagineer I jumped on the research. I researched how the group worked, where they worked, and who the major figures within the group were. Marty Skylar was one of the original Disney Imagineers and actually worked alongside Walt Disney to create Disney Land along with many of its attractions. To be able to work with a man like Marty Sklar and simply pick his brain would be a surreal experience. I would get knowledge of the business and how to approach specific problems that are faced every day. I would love to have him be my main literacy sponsor and show me the ropes. From the history to the operations accomplished every day, the journey would be something I would love to experience. With a man like Marty Skylar with all his experience, you cannot find a better mentor to Disney Imagineering.
Disney offers many internships and co-ops for college students and as you can imagine, I have already sent in numerous applications to hopefully obtain one of these positions. Many Disney Imagineer work with the college students and show them a day in their steps. To me, an ideal situation would be to work with Mr. Skylar. To me, it is meeting a childhood hero. There is really nobody I would rather work with or even meet rather than Marty Skylar and to work alongside him would be the ideal situation when it comes to working with my literacy sponsor. Skylar also puts on many conferences about his work and since I am currently enrolled in a fairly big university, I have always dreamed of him making a stop at UNCC. It may not be an ideal face to face conversation, however it would still provide insight from a man who knows it all. It would be like learning physics from Albert Einstein. There is no better person to deliver the information.
Walt Disney Imagineering provides people with the experience and thrill of their parks. They deliver from land and from sea with their cruise line and immense detail with everything they do. They never miss a detail and they work with a relaxed, and creative approach. I want to work like that and I want to accomplish all their expectations for those who work for them. The title “Imagineer” expresses creativity along with engineering, two skills I hope to become literate in within the next few years. People like Marty Skylar and the president of Disney Imagineering, Bruce Vaughn have revolutionized the world of theme parks and have created something nobody thought possible. It is time for a new generation of Imagineers to once again revolutionize theme parks and give the guests a whole new experience. I want to be a part of that next generation. I want to become literate in all phases of engineering to become an elite Disney Imagineer.