Disney Trip: LU Send Brings Students To Orlando
Liberty University turned one of the most magical places on earth into a classroom through its LU Send trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, to provide an immersive educational experience for students.
In early January, residential and online students from a variety of majors traveled to Disney World to spend a week learning from Disney professionals. This trip satisfied a credit in each student’s degree completion plan, allowing students to finish a class in one week. To go on the trip, students paid both the trip fee and for the class.
As an online business administration student, Andrew Rasschaert usually doesn’t meet any of his classmates in person. The trip gave Rasschaert and other online students the chance to meet classmates through a hands-on learning experience.
Rasschaert currently works in the automotive industry and hopes to continue his career in this field. He plans on using the business models he learned on this trip to improve his work for his current employer.
“When I heard about the Disney workshops, I truly expected a nine-to-five style lecture,” Rasschaert said. “But what we got was an on-the-job experience in the parks.”
The trip included a mixture of traditional lectures and park experience. Inside the parks, Rasschaert and his team observed Disney’s physical layout, talked to cast members and simply spent time enjoying the parks.
Rasschaert learned about Disney’s business model centered on the five keys of safety, efficiency, courtesy, show and inclusion. A Disney website identifies these keys as the foundation by which cast members make decisions and serve park guests. Once familiar with the keys, students could observe how the parks implemented them in real time.
Shawna Krivoy, another Liberty Online student, also went on the trip. While getting her degree, Krivoy also works in a leadership role at an insurance company. Through the marketing classes she participated in on the trip, Krivoy learned how Disney markets its brand.
Krivoy also took part in experiencing Disney’s new “Imagination Campus,” a place Disney hopes to be the “leading student enrichment provider for educators who believe that imagination and creativity should be part of every student’s educational experience,” according to its mission statement.
“It was a blend of fun and experiencing the Disney culture,” Krivoy said. “And in addition to that, it was an intense and immersive learning experience.”
One of Krivoy’s personal goals for the trip was to learn how to implement Disney’s leadership techniques within her own job. She learned each cast member had a “why” for their work, displaying excitement for what they do daily. Krivoy concluded that if she integrated this principle into her leadership style and habits, it may produce a new spark for her team.
LU Send offers a multitude of opportunities for students to serve local communities and gain experience in the job field. Its goal is to give students transformative travel opportunities through trips like the Orlando one. Information on the trips can be found on the LU Send website, or you can email questions to lusend@liberty.edu.
Farmerie is a Champion contributor.