By Sarah Myers
Staff Writer

Last summer Eric Steele experienced a day he will never forget. While bumbling around Walt Disney World in a heavy, oversized Goofy costume he met a memorable little girl.

"(The park) had just opened and people were running to be the first on the rides," he said. "Then this little girl ran up to me, gave me a huge hug and said 'Goofy! I just knew you'd be here!' It was like a commercial."

Imagine a summer job where the sole responsibility is to make children smile. For Shanna Jackson and Steele, both seniors in the School of Liberal Arts, it became possible through the Walt Disney World College Program.

"It was the first job I've ever had where I loved going to work," Steele said. "It was rewarding, too."

The rewards came in the form of smiles, friends and experiences. Steele estimates he played about 12 characters over his summer at Disney World — his favorite being Goofy.

"He is well recognized and kids love him," he said. "I got a lot of attention."

Jackson portrayed Sprite, who she described as a millennium Tinkerbell in the Disney Millennium Parade. "(My training) was very physical," she said. "They had to make sure I had rhythm and choreography while being graceful." Jackson was also required to improvise parts of the parade that were not choreographed.

"That was interesting," she said. "We got to pull people out of the crowd and dance with them like little kids and make them smile."

Making Disney World guests happy was just one aspect of the job. Both students were required to put their pantomime skills to the test by communicating without words. While Steele said he didn't have any problems, character greeters were often used to help translate the actions of the characters.

"I did a lot of flirting," he said. "We just try to make each interaction special for each guest."

Jackson and Steele both heard about the program when the Walt Disney World College Program recruited on campus last year. Both students are involved in Purdue Musical Organizations and were immediately interested in the opportunity. Through a series of auditions and training sessions, both students were selected to live in Orlando, Fla., and work at Disney World over the summer.

"I had friends who worked there," Steele said, "and I heard great things about it."

Jackson and Steele both said that on days off it wasn't hard to find things to do.

Jackson said, "We lived near Pleasure Island, a facet of Disney World with dance clubs. We were there every Monday and Thursday because it was free for the cast."

"Everyone there was so close knit," Steele said, "and there was

always a party at someone's apartment."

Some aspects of the job came as surprises to the students. While Jackson found herself performing in front of the occasional celebrity watching the parade, Steele had to deal with scaring some children by accident.

"I was playing the Queen of Hearts and I made a kid cry," he said. "I felt pretty bad, but you have to learn to switch characters."

After living in what Steele described as a dream, the two students noticed differences between their summer homes and Purdue.

"It’s weird to be in a place where no one is smiling." Jackson said. "(Eric and I) go around smiling all the time."

Both Jackson and Steele will perform in the PMO Christmas show before possibly returning to work for Disney in the winter. While Steele is unsure of his plans, Jackson is excited to return to the parade. She will again perform as Sprite and recognizes the significance of performing on New Year's Eve.

"It's exciting to know I'll be in that parade during the millennium on New Year's Eve," she said.

Both Jackson and Steele agree the Disney experience changed them.

"It opened my eyes to my surroundings," Jackson said. "There are people around the world just like me. There aren't that many differences," she said. "It just reminds you to have fun in life."