When new alumna Marissa Honka ’19 returns to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ for graduate school next summer, her tuition will be fully covered under the Disney Aspire Program. Originally, her mother and father had anticipated paying much of her educational expenses out of their pockets. Honka relishes in the fact that she can relieve her parents of such an immense financial burden.
βDisney Aspire has been a dream come true for me and my family,β says Honka, who earned a at last weekendβs commencement. βI am fortunate to have parents who are willing to go the extra mile for my future. At the same time, my parents have already done so much for me throughout my life. I wouldnβt want to put the weight of graduate school on their shoulders.β
Honka is one of the first 18 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ students to graduate under Disney Aspire. The Program offers free tuition for Disney employees at a select number of colleges and universities across the country. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ joined the network of institutions in May 2019, making more than 300 local Disney employees, including Honka, eligible for the program this Fall.
Building on the success of the initial launch of 34 undergraduate and masterβs degree programs β including 10 that are fully online β ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and Disney officials recently made the decision to expand the programβs offerings. When students return for the Spring 2020 semester, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ will be making more than 70 of its existing degree programs eligible for tuition coverage under Disney Aspire.
The collaboration is a natural fit between ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and Disney since both institutions are powerful economic engines in Orlando and across Florida. It also strengthens ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs already recognized position as one of the nationβs most affordable and best-value universities.
Next summer, Honka will pursue an MBA degree from ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. A Disney employee since October 2018, she will continue working at Disney as a lounge concierge. Much like her final semester of undergraduate study, Honkaβs graduate school tuition will be fully covered.
In the years to come, Honka plans to travel extensively β possibly as a flight attendant β immersing herself in as many foreign cultures as possible. Her long-term career aspirations include opening a Disney theme park or a Disney hotel internationally, a lofty goal that Honka has embraced wholeheartedly.
Honka also has embraced the rigors of graduate school at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. Even with Disney Aspire, she knows that continuing her education while working fulltime will not be easy, and she looks forward to the challenges. She says that this stage in her life has taught her a great deal about herself, both personally as well as professionally. Wherever her lifeβs ambitions take her, Honka says that she will always have a receptive ear for her parentβs wisdom.
βI lean on my parents for their advice and guidance,β says Honka, who remembers entering college as an elementary education major and realizing that wasnβt her calling. A period of self-reflection and several in-depth conversations with her mother led her to Rosen College and a career geared toward her lifeβs passions for travel and people.
βLiterally, in my very first class as an education major, I knew in my heart that teaching wasnβt for me. That was a pretty tough moment,β says Honka, who was attracted to Rosen for its reputation for being one of the best colleges for hospitality. βMy mother was amazing during that time, reassuring me that I wasnβt bound to the major, and that I could make a change to whatever was in my heart. Thatβs the type of support that I want from them.β
