Penn State Abington student Alexa Morley's summer internship at Sesame Place Philadelphia brought her to the attention of mentors such as Cathy Valeriano, the park president and general manager, in addition to developing her human resources skills.
ABINGTON, Pa. — Every day this summer was a "sunny day" for Penn State Abington student Alexa Morley, who served as a human resources coordinator intern at Sesame Place Philadelphia.
Her goal is to work in the hospitality industry after graduation, so she said she benefited from participating in the recruiting, hiring and onboarding processes at Sesame, which is owned by one of the world’s largest theme park and entertainment companies, United Parks & Resorts.
“I interviewed candidates, offered them positions and completed their paperwork processing appointments," Morley said. "I learned new skills in Workday, InvoTech Uniform and Smartsheet to track all candidates and employees. I also worked in Inventory assigning uniforms, printing name tags and ID cards. It was also a great experience to interact with our guests and use my interpersonal and customer service skills."
In addition to developing human resources acumen, she discovered broader takeaways.
“My internship provided me with knowledge and insight into what it’s like to operate a theme park as well as lessons on communication, leadership, adaptability and resilience," she said. "You need to be flexible when working in the hospitality industry. Things change from day to day, and you need to be ready to constantly adjust. Finally, as a leader, follow through on your words and promises."
Mentors play an important role in professional development, and Morley said she was fortunate to be assigned Kecia Eaton-Pringle, Sesame vice president of human resources, as her program mentor.
“Kecia was understanding and patient, and I learned a lot about her style of management. She always made me feel valued within the company,” Morley said.
Sesame assigns a capstone project that challenges interns to apply the knowledge and skills they acquired during their internship, by fostering creativity and strategic thinking while partnering with senior park executives to gain a deeper understanding of the industry.
“My Sesame capstone project was to create a new attraction to bring to Sesame Place and then present our new idea to the leadership team," Morley said. "My group decided to pitch an indoor boat ride. We were required to stay within a $14 million budget and design the ride and figure out the financing, logistics, marketing and ride operations. The operations included hours, staffing and training."
Like all business majors at Abington, Morley is required to complete an internship. She targeted a major player in the hospitality industry — theme parks capture almost $30 billion of the sector in the United States last year — and garnered an interview in a competitive program.
“These past four months have solidified my reasons for pursuing a career in hospitality management. For me, it's always been about making sure our guests and ambassadors 'have a sunny day!' I can’t wait to see what other opportunities arise in the future,” Morley said.
Nine majors at Abington require internships but all students are encouraged to secure these guided work experiences, which make them more desirable candidates for full-time employment after graduation. The campus Career and Professional Development staff are experts in the internship process. Contact them as early as your first year at Abington.
Alexa Morley, a fourth-year business major at Penn State Abington, spent four months as a human resources intern at Sesame Place Philadelphia.
About Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With more than 3,100 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 25 majors, accelerated master's degrees, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics and more.
