Magic Makers

As students at Rollins, Spencer Lynn ’13 and Cass Yankala ’13 created a tradition all their own—part imagination, part strategy, and every bit as ambitious as the careers that followed.

The challenge: Catch all three Walt Disney World fireworks shows in one night. The execution: anything but simple. Pulling it off required planning, speed, and just a little bit of pixie dust. Crowds, traffic, and rain could foil even the best-laid plans, and the shows’ schedules made the attempt possible only a few weeks each winter. But when the stars aligned, the adventure began at Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic!, continued with a sprint to the car to make Wishes at Magic Kingdom, and culminated in the final dash to EPCOT for IllumiNations.

“Those fireworks challenges were legendary,” says Yankala. “We definitely had some failed attempts, but when we made it, we were on top of the world.”

That blend of dreaming and doing—honed at Rollins— would come to define both their careers at the company. Today, Lynn is a senior producer with Walt Disney Imagineering, having helped create everything from EPCOT International Festival of the Arts to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Yankala is director of marketing strategy for Disney+, where she helped coordinate the rollout of Hulu and ESPN content on the popular streaming platform.

Both will tell you they chose Rollins in part for its proximity to the parks they grew up loving, but it was the College’s liberal arts ethos and real-world opportunities that sparked something deeper: the confidence to take flight, the skills to make wishes come true, and the drive to keep chasing that second star to the right.

The self-proclaimed Disneyphiles are part of a growing cast of alumni drawing on Rollins’ signature approach to education to fuel Orlando’s renowned theme-park industry that is shaping imagination worldwide.

Dreaming and Doing

Before the park officially opened to the public this spring, Mariah Haskell ’22 held her mother’s hand as they walked through the main gate of Universal’s Epic Universe. On the way, they paused to marvel at the sky-high Chronos tower.

“My mom was the first person in my family to see this project I worked so hard on,” says Haskell, tearing up as she recalls the memory. “Getting to see her face as she experienced this thing I helped create—it’s so rewarding. It’s become a formative memory.”

For three years, Haskell helped perfect the show controls for Celestial Park, including Chronos, as an associate engineer for Universal Creative. Behind every moving light, orbiting ring, ethereal sound, and opening sequence for Chronos are the programs and electrical schematics necessary to make them work together to evoke the park’s characteristic sense of awe and wonder. It’s a blend of production and programming—the perfect pairing of Haskell’s Rollins training as a double major in theatre and computer science.

Yankala likewise credits Rollins’ future-proof foundation with preparing her for a career that didn’t exist when she was in college. Streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu were in their infancy when she was at Rollins, and Disney+ launched six years after she graduated with a degree in critical media and cultural studies (CMC). She couldn’t have foreseen her current role working across marketing teams to coordinate campaigns and major initiatives, but she credits the versatility she developed at Rollins for her success.

“You have to wear so many hats in these companies and be prepared for anything,” says Yankala, who dreamed of working for Disney since childhood. “We still have firsts. We don’t always know what teams will be needed a few years from now. Rollins did such a great job giving me a broad, holistic view of the world that’s been invaluable. My trajectory has been anything but linear, and that’s exactly how I was taught to learn.”

Yankala thinks of working at Disney as liberal arts in practice. Every day, she collaborates with colleagues across disciplines, from tech and business to art and theater. Success requires a multidisciplinary mindset, a core part of her CMC major—and her thesis. For the latter, Yankala explored Disney’s “synergy roadmap,” analyzing how Walt built a self-sustaining ecosystem where TV, film, and theme parks all promoted one another.

“At the time, he had The Wonderful World of Disney on TV, which promoted the opening of Disneyland, anchored by Sleeping Beauty Castle, which the animators were creating for the film studio,” she says. “It’s incredible that Walt had that foresight and that we continue to follow that model today.”

Meanwhile, Lynn credits Rollins’ location for allowing him to pursue a theater degree while gaining real-world experience interning at Walt Disney Imagineering—a part-time role that turned into a full-time career. While reading a book as a child, he was introduced to the Imagineers—the people who build Disney’s attractions—and decided that’s what he would do. As a sophomore, he landed an internship with the fabled storytellers and spent the next few years splitting his time between Rollins and Disney. As a prop intern, he took photos, installed artwork across Disney Cruise Line ships, and even traveled to Hawaii to help put the finishing touches on Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.

“The nice thing was being able to pursue my dream of working in Imagineering while still doing my classes and theater at the same time,” he says. “I didn’t have to pick one over the other.”

Lynn has been shaping Disney’s immersive experiences ever since—and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Theme parks give us a safe place to ride waves of emotion that we typically don’t allow ourselves to have,” he says. “It’s not just permission to play. It’s permission to emote. As Imagineers, we’re charged with building meaning and experiences that last.”

A Legacy of Imagination

So many Rollins alumni have helped build memories that last.

As vice president for merchandise sourcing and product development at Disney Consumer Products—the global retail division of The Walt Disney Company—Stefanie Majoras ’07 leads teams that bring Disney stories to life. From shaping merchandise strategies to building global supplier partnerships, she ensures the magic of Disney’s iconic characters is transformed into tangible memories. She headed the team behind the viral rose-gold Minnie ears of 2017—a decision that expanded Disney’s classic headwear into a kaleidoscope of styles across characters, colors, and seasons.

Though she once longed to live far from Central Florida, her path came full circle—and expanded—when a recruiter called her about an opportunity with Disney.

At Rollins, Majoras dreamed of work abroad, especially in Asia. Her senior capstone on the Asian business environment included a trip to China and Southeast Asia, where she toured factories, met business leaders, and studied the region’s economy.

“That exposed me to a whole other world—sourcing,” she says. Now, sourcing is a cornerstone of her work. She oversees global sourcing strategy and ensures that everything—from the park’s popular trading pins to the Key to Disneyland 70th anniversary collectible—arrives with the right quality, at the right time, and with the right storytelling intent.

Her dream of working in Asia? It came true in its own way.

“I never thought I would have more China passport stamps than any other country, but I’ve been there at least 100 times,” she says. “And I use my Rollins degree every single day. I studied international business with a concentration in marketing and the Asian business environment, and now I literally work in product development and global sourcing for the biggest entertainment company in the world.”

Disney is one of Central Florida’s top three employers— alongside Universal—and Rollins grads are embedded throughout both organizations, including in top leadership roles. Trustee Jeff Vahle ’94MBA is president of Walt Disney World Resort, having overseen the development of Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland. Eric Marshall ’91, senior vice president of North American destination sales for Universal Destinations & Experiences, has helped launch everything from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to the new Epic Universe in Orlando and the upcoming Universal Kids Resort in Texas.

With such a strong legacy of leadership, it’s no wonder Rollins continues to attract students like Tiffany Roqueta ’28, who dreams of joining the industry’s biggest names.

“I came to Rollins because of the alumni connection to Disney,” says Roqueta, a business management major who grew up visiting Orlando’s parks twice a year from New Jersey. “I wanted to understand why Rollins graduates value the company as much as I do—and the College has made it so easy to connect.”

And connect she has. In addition to meeting recruiters at Career Expos and connecting with alumni on LinkedIn, Roqueta works part-time in the College’s business department, where she’s networked with Majoras and Lee Cockerell, former EVP of operations for Walt Disney Resort—both members of the department’s advisory board. She hopes to study abroad in Paris so she can visit Disneyland there and has taken classes from Writing about Pixar to Fandoms, where she presented on her lifelong love of Disney. In her business classes, she’s always looking for ways to connect her studies to her passions.

“In accounting, I wanted to understand what money is coming in and what’s going out,” she says. “Why is the company making the choices it does? Being able to incorporate the thing I love into what I’m learning keeps me engaged and pushes me toward my goal.”

Her goal? Become president of Walt Disney World Resort.

It’s not so far-fetched. After all, Lynn, Yankala, and countless other Rollins alumni are proof that with the right preparation, drive, and skills, the dreams you dream really can come true.

The Power of Place

A stone’s throw from the entertainment capital of the world, Rollins helps students turn early experience into enduring careers.

Internships are more than resume builders. They’re opportunities to discover what excites you (and doesn’t), expand your potential, and take the first step toward a career in the entertainment industry. Just ask Michael LaGessie ’24 and Bethany Eriksen ’15.

LaGessie grew up in Windermere, in the shadow of Orlando’s theme parks, knowing he wanted to work for one. The international business major got his first opportunity as a finance intern with Universal Destinations & Experiences, which quickly led to a part-time role as a financial assistant. Eager to explore another side of the business, he completed a merchandising internship before returning to finance while finishing his degree.

By then, his colleagues had noticed his work ethic—and potential he hadn’t yet recognized in himself. They recommended him for his current role as a fixed asset accountant, assessing the lifespan and value of Universal’s physical assets.

“It was a big step up and very challenging at first,” he says. “What helped me adapt was my Rollins training to be a problem solver, think creatively, and conceptualize complex issues.”

Eriksen’s path was less linear. Growing up in Massachusetts, she dreamed of being an animal trainer—until an internship revealed just how many career paths exist at Disney. After earning a degree in environmental studies, she completed a professional internship with the Disney Conservation Fund, supporting wildlife conservation through corporate philanthropic efforts. That experience opened the door to Disney’s corporate side, where she now works in communications supporting the company’s global workforce—demonstrating that Disney careers extend far beyond attractions and into purpose-driven, enterprise-wide roles.

Eriksen credits Rollins experiences—studying abroad in Ecuador, serving as a peer mentor for international students, and managing Immersions—with setting her up for success.

“At Rollins, I learned how to consider perspectives we may not be thinking about and to collaborate across mindsets and backgrounds to achieve our goals.”

Both graduates agree: Internships aren’t just stepping stones—they’re proving grounds. Located in the heart of the entertainment capital and with a close-knit network paving the way, Rollins makes it easy for students to turn these proving grounds into highly sought-after careers.