At 22 years old, just a few weeks after graduating from the University of South Carolina, Caroline Salisbury is leading a team of more than 350 people at the world’s most famous resort.
Salisbury’s new role as guest experience manager of food and beverage operations at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort is a dream come true for her. She works with her staff to help provide visitors with ideal experiences at the park’s restaurants while managing for efficiency. It’s an exciting mix she attained by seizing opportunities that come with being a Gamecock and making the most of them.
“The university gives its student leaders a chance to be free and to be expressive and fail and learn how to fail and then bounce back,” Salisbury says. “That really set me apart and I gained experiences as a college student that many people early in their professional lives don't have.”
Salisbury earned her bachelor’s degree in tourism management at USC. Her new job is part of the competitive Disney Hospitality Leadership Program, open only to recent college graduates with a hospitality or tourism degree. Salisbury learned about the opportunity from Ashley Richardson, internship director for USC’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
In character
The fit was a natural one for Salisbury, who spent a semester of her sophomore year participating in the Disney College Program. She worked in Hollywood Studios then too, not knowing at the time what the future would bring.
On campus, Salisbury excelled in her classes while honing her leadership skills. She served as a University 101 peer leader and took part in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management Leadership Program.
“This was such a reach position for me, but I took a risk and went for it because
the resources that I was given through the university made me know my self-worth."
Salisbury began serving with the USC Homecoming Commission as a sophomore, and in 2022 was chosen as its president. She also served as an ambassador for the university’s Department of Student Life and as student lead for special events at the Russell House University Union. She hosted six weekly information sessions for the Department of Student Life through 17 summer orientation sessions, and as student lead for the 2023 Carolina Welcome helped plan events which attracted more than 10,000 students.
“Through my positions with Gamecock Entertainment and the Department of Student Life specifically, I had a lot of ability to manage students and figure out ‘OK, this works with this student, but this doesn't work with this student.’ I came to understand the concept that every situation needs to be handled differently,” Salisbury says. “Gaining that knowledge as a 19-, 20-, 21-year-old and then being able to utilize that to explain why I'm suitable for a position like this really made me stand out in the interview process.”
Believing in magic
Salisbury, a Charleston native, spent many vacations at Walt Disney World Resort with her family as a child, and those experiences sparked her interest in a career in tourism in general and with Disney in particular. The Disney College Program along with her classes and leadership roles at USC reinforced her desire.
“I grew to love the magic aspect of it as a consumer. And then I knew I wanted to help do it. I wanted to help create the magical moments for people,” she says.
In her new role, Salisbury is the supervisor of people who were working for Disney before she was born. It is a lot of responsibility, and getting the job meant beating out a large pool of candidates, but her experiences at USC from the classroom to her leadership roles to building connections and learning about interview and salary negotiation in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management’s Marnie Pearce Professionalism Seminar prepared her well.
“This was such a reach position for me, but I took a risk and went for it because the resources that I was given through the university made me know my self-worth. And so I'm sitting here in a salaried position with benefits a month after graduation,” she says. “It is a testament to if you pour into the university and give everything that the university gives to you, you could be chasing your dreams and catching them, even if it doesn't seem attainable. It's OK to apply for reach jobs. It's OK to take a risk because you don't know, you might get it.”