She probably didn’t “Wish Upon A Star” or win the Super Bowl, but one Schreyer Scholar does get to work at the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
Scholar alumna Allie McIlvaine, who graduated in the spring of 2014, has started her career with one of the most popular theme parks in the world, Walt Disney World.
“I couldn’t imagine a more fun place to work as an engineer,” McIlvaine said.
The Washington, Pennsylvania, native studied industrial engineering with a minor in engineering leadership development while at Penn State.
McIlvaine met with Disney recruiters on campus in the fall of 2013 during the Industrial Engineering Career Fair. “One of the recruiters was a Penn State industrial engineering alum and we made a strong connection that gave me the opportunity to interview for an open position,” she said.
McIlvaine started working as an associate industrial engineer in August where her department’s focus is on improving guest experience and operational efficiency within the Disney Parks and Resorts.
She added one of her favorite experiences so far was riding the Rock 'N’ Roller Coaster to help collect data for a study. She is also looking forward to upcoming projects especially over the Christmas holiday season when “Disney is even more magical.” She continued, “It will be amazing to see the behind the scenes work that makes the experience for guests extra special during the holidays.”
Before starting at Disney, McIlvaine credited Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College for the opportunities she was given to make herself a better employee and person.
McIlvaine said she grew up around Penn State with frequent visits for football games with her father and knew for sure after visiting other campuses that Penn State is where she belonged.
“None of them gave me the same welcoming feeling that I got from Happy Valley,” she said.
Though the decision was clear about which school she would attend, McIlvaine hadn’t yet discovered her passion for engineering.
Because she loved science and math, McIlvaine took the Honors Engineering Design 100 course and that is when her career goals came into focus.
“I had one of the best professors I ever had at Penn State, Matt Parkinson, and he taught the class in such a fun, unique way that it completely changed my perspective,” she said. “It is one of the classes that taught me the most about creative problem solving and team work.”
McIlvaine was also able to work on amazing projects and travel to Singapore to take an international product design course at National University of Singapore.
When she wasn’t busy in class, she worked as a fitness instructor at Penn State, teaching yoga and Pilates classes.
McIlvaine made sure to make the most of her time in college and even made life-long connections among her fellow Scholars.
“I feel so fortunate to have been surrounded by a group of like-minded, driven peers who helped me take full advantage of the learning opportunities we had at Penn State,” she said. “It’s likely I would not be in the place I am today without their support and teamwork along the way.”
She mentioned that her honors courses were some of the most challenging, but also the most rewarding classes she took while at Penn State because she was able to learn from the best professors at the University.
“I am so grateful for being a part of the Schreyer community,” she said. “I know that the honors college instilled in me the important values of continuously broadening my world view and performing with excellence.”