The journey for Darcy Accardi ‘06 from TU to the Walt Disney Company didn’t happen overnight but was still a dream come true.
“I always wanted to work for Disney,” she says. “I grew up going to the parks—just looking at all the scenery and rides and thinking, ‘What a cool job it would be to be part of the team that made something like that.’”
As a project planner at Walt Disney Imagineering, Accardi is now a part of that team. She works behind the scenes to ensure big, complex projects like the development, building and launch of the Pixar Pier attraction at Disney California Adventure, go smoothly and on budget.
“I’m looking at a project schedule from start to finish to figure out how all the different parts and workstreams are intertwined and integrated,” she says. “It’s very fast paced, and there’s always something unexpected that happens. But the team always figures out a way to do the thing and find a way forward, which is inspiring. It’s a great place to work for sure.”
Accardi joined Disney in 2015, but her path to get there began much earlier.
After graduating with her degree in business administration with a concentration in management, Accardi worked for five years in TU’s Office of Student Affairs. She applied to some positions at Disney as a long shot. She didn’t get an interview but was contacted by someone who saw her resume, so she struck up a professional relationship.
“I stayed in touch with her for about five years through LinkedIn and an email here or there,” says Accardi.
Then one time while Accardi was planning a trip to Los Angeles to visit family, she seized the opportunity and emailed her Disney contact and asked to have lunch.
“She referred me to other people at Disney I could send my resume to, and one of those people was the one that hired me,” explains Accardi.
In addition to the leadership and communication skills she learned in her business courses and work experiences at TU, Accardi says always remembers the importance and power of networking.
“Keep in touch with people you interact with because you never know,” she says.