Matt Wagner Goes to College…At Disney World

By Luke McGuire, Swimming World College Intern

Matt Wagner, a junior sprinter at the Catholic University of America, spent his fall semester at one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. But Wagner was not on vacation – he was working five days a week through the Disney College Program.

Wagner attributes his love of all things Disney to his family’s annual vacations to the theme park, which stretch back to his early childhood.

“My family was the family that goes to Disney every year,” he said. In fact, his interest in the Disney College Program was first piqued while on one such vacation, as he noticed that some of the cast members had name tags that listed their hometowns, while others had name tags that included the names of various universities. He recalled asking one of the cast members why his badge had a college listed instead of a hometown, and being pointed in the direction of the Disney College program.

Once aware of the program, Wagner had to jump through a number of hoops in order to participate. He believes that the process began during his freshman year, when he considered the best ways to structure his academic schedule in order to complete his degree requirements on time.

The application process itself began in earnest in mid-January, when he filled out the preliminary application materials and participated in an online interview. Once through the first round, Wagner had a February phone interview, and was informed a few weeks later that he had been accepted into the program.

But the challenges did not end there. Catholic University was hesitant to recognize the Disney College Program, which is not an accredited institution, for transfer credits.

“Some schools do grant credit, but prior to this year, Catholic was not one of them,” Wagner said.

Wagner and an alumni of the program, Kelly Barry, teamed up to present administration officials with a plan for awarding academic credit for participation in the program. A large part of the effort was a petition circulated throughout the undergraduate student body, which Wagner believes received more than 500 total signatures – roughly 15 percent of all undergraduates.

Eventually, a compromise with the university was reached as a result of the joint efforts of Wagner and Barry.

“The school of business was particularly helpful in our meetings, and together we were able to put together an independent study program based on what interns learn in Disney,” Wagner said.

Today, CUA awards up to nine transfer credits for participation in the program, recognizing a combination of internship and independent research courses. Wagner himself received six credits towards his politics major, and took a leadership course while at Disney. He has described the program, which ran from August 4 until January 2, as one of the most fun experiences of his life.

Wagner spent his time in Disney working in Epcot’s Innoventions, which was a branch of the Attractions program.

“It’s really hard to explain, not really a ride, but not really a show…I did have to memorize five different scripts, however,” Wagner said of his work in Disney.

Despite missing the first half of the swimming season, Wagner worked hard to remain in shape during his time in Disney, and has hit the ground running in January. He was able to train two to three times per week while in Orlando until the second half of December, when the holiday rush demanded that he work longer hours at the parks.

He joined the rest of the CUA swim team in St. Petersburg for their annual training trip, and has not looked back. Since his return, Wagner has recorded top 20 conference times in the 50 free (22.78), 100 free (50.76), and 100 butterfly (56.40).

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