It was a September day in 2025 and Kylee Withers ('16, '17 M.B.A.) was anticipating some long-awaited news about the next chapter of her Disney journey, feeling both excited and nervous.

Since first becoming a cast member at Walt Disney World in 2014, Withers had dreamed about becoming a Walt Disney World Ambassador.

The Disney Ambassador Program has an over 60-year legacy at the Walt Disney Company, which dates back to Walt Disney himself, who created the program to help represent the brand during the 10th anniversary at Disneyland. Today, two cast members are selected for this role every two years at each of the Disney Parks around the world, and their mission is to represent and create joy for the resort's cast members.

Last fall Withers learned she was selected to represent the Walt Disney World Resort alongside her partner, Phelicia Blake.

"I just froze when I heard the news. It was something that I had dreamed about for so long. Then a few minutes later, I'm taking Mickey Mouse's arm and walking on stage and waving to a crowd of family, friends and cast from across our resort."

Now, Withers gets to wear the gold Ambassador pin every day. And her path to that stage started at UNT.

When You Wish Upon a Star

Withers, an accounting major, was an active student during her time at UNT.

She enjoyed being a student athlete on the cross country and track and field teams, in addition to being part of the Honors College at UNT. For her accounting degree, she participated in several internal audit internships with the goal of becoming a public accountant and getting her CPA license.

But that goal changed during her junior year, when she was accepted into the Disney College Program working in entertainment.

"I had such an amazing experience. I knew that I wanted to work for Disney and build a career there."

After graduating from UNT with her M.B.A, Withers returned to Walt Disney World on a second Disney College Program. During her program she again worked in entertainment and her Disney nametag featured her college. Before a show at Cinderella Castle, she was helping clear the area when a family came up to her.

"They saw that my nametag said, 'Kylee, University of North Texas,' and they were a family from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I got to know them a little bit. I think that moment was really cool, because it connected me back to people that grew up in the same place I did," she says. "I gave the kids and the family some Disney stickers and spent time with them before the show started, and created a little bit of unexpected magic that day."

Happily Ever After

After finishing her Disney College program, Withers worked in several support areas at Disney including telecommunications, commercial strategy and, most recently, finance. Now, she says she has the "best job ever" as a Disney Ambassador.

"My job is all about representing cast members and celebrating the incredible things that our cast do every day. We also help share the exciting things that are happening at Walt Disney World – whether it's a reimagined experience, new attraction, or a new food and beverage location."

There's no typical day on the job. One day in April, she helped kick off the reopening of Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and then took part in the reopening date announcement of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She returned to the office afterwards, analyzing data and how best to engage with her fellow cast members.

Although she's just a few months into the job, she's already had so many favorite moments, including a role shadow at The Seas with Nemo & Friends, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. She put on a wetsuit and joined the animal care team as they helped build trust with the stingrays in case they need first aid.

"We helped the stingrays do their training for the morning, which was so cool and not something I ever thought I would get to do."

Then, ahead of the run Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend earlier this spring, she visited a local children's hospital in Orlando for a special princess party with patients. Withers gathered around the table with Rapunzel and helped young patients and their families decorate lanterns.

"I'm lucky. I get to work at Walt Disney World, so I see characters and joy every single day in our parks. Bringing that joy of Disney into the community is just so powerful. It's a memory that I will never forget."