Immaculata University

Department of Human Movement Sciences

Immaculata University’s Student Practicum Evaluation

To the student: Please complete and return to Mrs. Gallagher. Your input and honest evaluation will be used to
determine if this practicum site is a valuable professional experience.

Student Name: Alexa Goerlach

Dates of Practicum: August 20th- January 3rd
Practicum Location: The Walt Disney World
Supervisor Name & Title: Sam Perry Food and Wine, Robel Weldeab Food and Wine Both Leaders and Kaela
Mouse Gear Merchandise Leader
Address: 200 Epcot Center Drive, Orlando Florida, 32821
Telephone: 407-824-4321

In the space below, please write a brief statement of your internship.

- My Disney internship started in the Food and Wine festivals where I was to greet and take guest orders,
enter orders into a computerized register, verify guests orders by repeating total orders back, selling product
outdoors and indoors while interacting with guest, receiving and process payments, cleaning and
maintaining work areas, replenishing food and other serving items as necessary and receiving and preparing
orders according to the guidelines. My next opportunity once the festival ended was Mouse Gears
Merchandise. This included demonstrating and selling merchandise indoors and outdoors, cash handling-
both manual and using the computer, stocking shelves as well as cleaning them, receiving/ putting away
stock and deserves, providing guest with information, approaching guests and engaging them in
conversation, preparing packages for shipping/ delivery. Both of these jobs I worked independently as well
as part of a large team all trying to reach one goal: guest satisfaction while providing safety, courtesy,
efficiently and show.

EVALUATION: Please evaluate your internship in terms of the following:

Relevance to your career objectives:

- Connection. Connection is the most important aspect in any career. Having the ability to connect with a
person on any level is what keeps people coming back. I always knew making connections was important
but throughout this internship, my knowledge has been enhanced and my skills have grown. Making a
connection or a relationship with a guest can take their experience from a 5 to a 10 in the matter of seconds.
When someone feels as though you actually care about them and what they need and want; that’s how you
know you are doing your job right. Anyone can make a sale, anyone can teach someone how to better
themselves in a sport or anyone can set up an event but it’s the person who takes their time and sees who
that person truly is that they are working with is the one who will succeed. Working in Disney you needed
to be able to adjust, adapt and overcome. It was about thinking on your feet, taking what you got and go, it
was making something out of nothing. In the sports world, you have to do the same. You are not going to
have a costumer know what they want, you have to help them see what they want. Also, listening.
Listening is hard because you always want to just assume or speed up the process but when doing so you
can miss things that would benefit you. Efficiency is always what people strive for. You want to be effect
so that people know you’re reliable. No one wants to trust someone who can’t work efficiency even when
there is a million and one things going on around them. Finally, working with all kinds of people, speaking
all different languages, from all different cultures. People can teach you things. This internship I have
worked alongside some of the most amazing and influence people. People can help you grow if you’re
willing to learn and keep an open mind.

Opportunities for learning:

 - Every single day of my internship was filled with opportunities to learn. I have learned more about myself
and my goals and what I want myself to become in the last five months then I ever expected. I have been
surrounded by people who only want you to succeed and benefit in this program. From guest connections/
relationship, to the importance of safety in everything you do, to the importance of being efficient when
completing a task, to the importance of staying in show or in the sports management industry staying in the
focus of what you are striving for whether it’s an event or working one on one. Leaving out any of these
aspects can lead to things going wrong or a unhappy costumer. Disney has taught me so much on how to be
a strong leader. At the end of the day our guest or our customers are what keeps our business striving,
although we are the backbones they are our motivating factors.

Workload, working conditions and helpfulness of supervisor:

- The work load at Disney was exhausting. There was not a week that went by without working over 40
hours and even then you are sometimes asked to extend. Yes 40 hours does not seem that much but it is just
the constant standing on your feet, the constant walking back and forth. Food and wine was outside, some
days we would stand in the sun for over 10 hours and that was always tiring in itself. Mouse gears was
inside but in one shift alone I walked over 6 miles. The working conditions were great. Everyone was super
friendly and supportive. Breaks were if you worked 6 hours you got a 30 minute break, if you worked 8
hours you got a 45 minute break and if you worked anything over 10 you would get two 3o minute breaks
and one was paid! They cared about you and your health at all times. Our supervisors were amazing. They
all loved what they do and there passion showed through how they treated us. They were they for you if
you needed anything and were very easy to talk to. If you had a bad day, they could tell because they cared
about each person even though there was over 100 cast members at each location.

Would you recommend that a student be placed in this practicum location in the future? Why? If not, why not?
Please explain.
- Yes. Yes. Yes. This has been the most incredible experience of my life. I would recommend anyone, no
matter what field you are going into, come and do this program. Yes this was not the most sports related
internship but the knowledge I have learned can help me literally anywhere. This program has strengthen
me in ways I did not know I even needed to work on, it has shown me things that I over looked or did not
pay much attention to, and it has brought awareness to hidden skills that I have and can use more often
now. There is not a thing that I have learned that I can’t not use in the future for my career in sports
management.

What skills, in addition to those learned in core courses were necessary to perform well in this practicum
experience?
Throughout this practicum I think communication is still a huge factor to perform well in this experience. I say this
because in both of my locations, communication was needed everywhere. You can’t perform well if you are just
talking to yourself. You can’t connect or build relationships or learn from others if you are quiet. You can’t be safe
or efficient if you don’t speak up. Communication is success, don’t be afraid. Also, I think being self-aware is very
important. You need to understand yourself to improve yourself and everyone can improve. Self-awareness also
helps you make better decisions and decision making is hard because sometimes it needs to be quick and on your
feet. Being aware of yourself leads to more confidence and having confidence shows people you know what you’re
doing. Finally I would say being versatile. Things change every day, people call out, and people get moved around.
Being able to be versatile can help a business in many ways. Knowing how to handle all tasks or all jobs inside of
what you do can not only help yourself but others around you. You can be there to answer questions, give feedback
or even set in when you are needed. You’re a strong force when you understand all concepts of your job at hand.

What advice would you give student applying for this practicum experience?
 - My advice is to do it with an open mind. Do it all, see it all, take it all in. Do not be afraid because you are
interning with a huge company because literally 90% of the people that are above you will tell you, they
started in the same spot that you are and they fell in love with the company and kept coming back until they
got to where they wanted. Take the opportunities that are given to you. Go the extra mile for a guest
because you never know where that conversation or that interaction can take you or even do for them.
Stand out. Don’t just sit there and expect someone to say good job because you are working with 100 other
people who want the same thing as you; just be different but a good different. It will be the best time of
your life.

GENERAL COMMENTS:
These past five months have made me a better person in so many ways. It’s an experience I wish everyone can take.
Yes there are bad days even in Disney but the bad days are still a way for you to grow.

Signature Alexa N. Goerlach Date December 15, 2018

Please complete and return to Mrs. Gallagher by December 1st. Thank you!