Each year thousands of kids take the pilgrimage to the epicenter of imagination and creativity, Walt Disney World. For many children this is where their favorite movies spring to life and even their parents are kids again. While most visitors leave Disney with plush toys of Mickey and souvenir photos from Space Mountain, thousands leave with something else entirely -inspiration. One such child was Alyssa Sorensen, who after visiting the parks and seeing the likes of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, dreamed too of sprinkling her own fairy dust onto the world! In 2025, Sorensen made her dream a reality by landing a retail design internship at Walt Design World.
While finishing up her senior year in RMCAD’s online Interior Design program, Sorensen got the opportunity of a lifetime to put her skills to use at Disney World’s parks and resorts as a retail designer. So what is it like to work at the happiest place on earth and how do you get an internship there?
Once Upon a Floor Plan
Rome wasn’t built in a day and Disney World wasn’t just built by one family. As you can imagine, it takes thousands and thousands of employees to build, operate, maintain, and improve the parks and resorts at Disney World. According to Forbes, as of 2025, Disney World is the largest employer in the state of Florida with over 80,000 employees. With a company so large it may seem like getting your foot in the door is as simple as hopping in the fast pass line, but that’s where you would be mistaken. Disney prides itself on hiring the most passionate, hardworking, and of course, creative individuals from the thousands of applicants they receive each year.
Similarly, for Sorensen, not just any job at Disney would do, it needed to reflect her other passions as well. She dreamed of creating spaces that not only felt comfortable but sparked joy and imagination for those in them. Throughout her 20s, she had always been interested in cultivating a career as an interior designer. While living in Nashville, she became particularly involved in designing retail spaces. Creating exciting environments that customers could easily navigate. From there, Sorensen decided that the best way to fast track her career was by finishing her bachelor’s degree which eventually brought her to RMCAD. “I knew from the very beginning of my freshman year that I wanted to work with the Walt Disney Company in some way with interior design,” shared Sorensen.
Dreaming Up the Magic
For the next four years, Sorensen bravely did what so many creatives are afraid to do, she shared her dreams out loud. Introducing herself each term to faculty and fellow students by saying “I’m Alyssa, and when I graduate I would like to work for the Walt Disney company.” During that time she dutifully applied to every interior design internship she could at Disney. She carefully curated her portfolios and cover letters to highlight her creativity and versatility as a designer for every application. Each time, learning just a little bit more about how to tell her story. Unfortunately, whenever she applied, about a week later she would always receive an email from Disney that started with “we regret to inform you.” Although, it wasn’t just Sorensen’s design skills that would inevitably land her an internship, it was her stick-to-itiveness.
In October 2024, Sorensen applied for her fifth internship at Disney, this time a six month position in retail design. Around that same time, she watched online as VASD speaker Justin Martin came to RMCAD on October 16, 2024. She was excited to hear from Martin because of his career as a designer for themed spaces such as Universal Studios and Meow Wolf. In many ways, his career paralleled exactly what it was she was hoping to do beyond graduation. His talk gave her many important insights into the unique industry, motivating her to learn more. There was one comment though that worried her, even scared her. Sorensen recalls Martin jokingly asking the audience during his keynote speech. “If anyone knows how to get in with Disney, let me know because I’m trying to get work with them again!” Internally, all she could think was, “Oh my gosh, he’s done all this amazing work, and if he can’t get into Disney. That must mean it’s impossible for me!”
The Road to Orlando
However, on that fifth application, Sorensen knew that something was different this time. A week came and went without a rejection email. So she anxiously waited with her fingers crossed. Another two weeks came and went until one fateful day she received an email requesting an interview. She was over the moon to finally be in the running for her dream job, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up just yet. She knew if it had taken her this long just to land an interview, that that was only the first step in landing the internship.
“I had just one interview with the lead designer and our team lead for retail store design, which lasted about 20 minutes,” said Sorensen who quickly began overthinking the brevity of her interview. “I was thinking maybe they didn’t like me or something, as it really wasn’t that long of an interview.” Either way she was proud to have made it this far and she knew that even if she didn’t get the role, the experience had prepared her to come back stronger for her next application. However, there wouldn’t be another application because on November 1, 2024 she got a call from HR saying they would love to offer her the internship. In hindsight Sorensen admitted with a laugh that her managers were “just very busy. They knew what they wanted, and they got all the answers that they wanted from me.”
In that same call with HR, they asked Sorensen if she would be willing to move to Orlando for six months. “I said, absolutely! My husband and I had been talking about this for years, and if the opportunity presented itself, we would 100% be there.” She accepted the role of Retail Store Design Intern in November 2024, and within six weeks she packed up their life, moved to Orlando, and began her internship that January.
Designing Disney
Once in Florida, Sorensen hit the ground running. She said “there’s no such thing as a traditional day,” sharing that her schedule might start with meetings, move into checking samples, and wouldn’t wrap up until she visited multiple Disney parks. All the while, a full time student, she spent her nights and weekends on course work. It wasn’t easy but she said getting involved at RMCAD “boosted my confidence.”
As a retail designer, she was responsible for collaborating with different store fronts to extend the immersive experience of being on a Disney property without compromising on the logistical needs that each store required. She was spearheading the design of kiosks and cashier counters to match each park’s theme. All the while collaborating with fellow interns, fabricators, and members of Disney’s fabled imagineering team.
Because of the caliber of Sorensen’s work in those first six months, she was offered to extend her internship to a full year, which she of course accepted. Staying on as an extended intern served not only as a reminder that she was a valued member of the team, but it also granted her access to new and exciting responsibilities at Disney. She was now a mentor to new interns, consistently sharing her input with them. The best advice she could give them was to “just be a student. Ask a lot of questions and never pretend like you know everything.”
What surprised her most was “the freedom that they have given me.” Out the gate, her lead designer and fellow full-time staff members were soliciting her opinions on different retail spaces. This freedom allowed her to do exciting things while finishing her time at RMCAD.
Looking at Sorensen’s contributions to Walt Disney World, it is clear to see that she is a tremendously talented and creative designer. However, the quality that really sets her apart from the thousands of other applicants is her dedication. It took four years, five applications, and countless hours honing her portfolio to get where she is today. Sorensen is living proof that when you wish upon a star (and work real hard), dreams do come true!
Next Stop: Tomorrowland
What does tomorrow hold for you? If you’re interested in creating a future in interior design, then you may want to consider a bachelor’s degree. Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design offers an on-campus BFA in Interior Design as well as an online BFA in Interior Design. Our skills-based curriculum helps students harness their creativity and utilize their skillset in home interiors, retail design, hospitality and more. Request more information about our interior design degree program today.
