The initiative is dedicated to providing meaningful opportunities for HBCU students and alumni by building community across The Walt Disney Company.
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"Disney on the Yard is the Walt Disney Company's commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. There's internships, mentorships, scholarships, sponsorships, and we just want to give the students a space and place to see themselves represented and know that there's an opportunity at The Walt Disney Company if they see fit," said Dayna Lee Libby, Disney on the Yard's outreach and engagement director.
Organizers hope the event could be the spark that helps launch successful futures for the students who attended.
"When you show up on campus saying that you want to develop a real talent pipeline, particularly for students of color, that changes the game," said DSU President Tony Allen.
Students spent much of the day making connections with staff at Disney companies like ESPN, ABC, and 6abc but the opportunities extend even further as Disney is a global company.
"ABC, ESPN, Hulu, National Geographic, we have everything from production internships to hospitality to zoology if that's truly what you're looking for," Libby said.
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Organizers say the event is all about meeting students where they are and also representation and showing students what's possible.
"I want to be a travel documentary filmmaker, so to see people that look like me that are coming to me, it's a big deal," said Zyona Landry, a sophomore from Lima, Ohio. "There's not a lot of travel documentary filmmakers that are Black and female so to not be able to see that, it's like now I have to go bridge that gap."
In addition to the recruiting and networking opportunities there was also live music and giveaways and lunch was provided.
Recruiters were also on campus Monday going into different classrooms to speak with students. Disney says DSU has had the most interns with the company than any of the other schools in their HBCU cohort.
Disney is the parent company of this ABC station.