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Meghan Caprez, '15, M.A. '17

Meghan Caprez | B.S., Public Relations; M.A., Communication Studies | Class of 2015, 2017

Beyond the magical experiences guests have at Walt Disney World every day, there鈥檚 a communications and public affairs team spreading the magic all over the world.

Kent State alumna Meghan Caprez, B.S. 鈥15, M.A. 鈥17, is part of that team. As a communications manager for the Walt Disney World Resort, she handles internal and external communication and strategy for Disney Resort hotels, transportation, security and more. Prior to that, she served as a public affairs manager, where she helped ensure a seamless integration of communications and public affairs for major events, including some of the lead-up to Walt Disney World鈥檚 18-month-long 50th anniversary celebration.

鈥淥ur communications and public affairs team helps share beloved Disney stories with guests around the world,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e bring the magic of Walt Disney World to you by working closely with the media to share updates about our parks; we build strong, lasting relationships with our community; and we inform and recognize our incredible Disney cast members.鈥

As an undergraduate student in public relations and graduate student in communication studies, working for Disney was always the goal. She completed the Disney College Program twice, and after completing graduate school, came back to complete a professional internship in executive communications. She was then hired into a permanent position.

One of the best things about Kent State鈥檚 classes in public relations and communication studies, Meghan says, was that she had the freedom to incorporate Disney into various projects.

鈥淭he professors gave us the freedom to choose the topics or organizations our projects would be based on. I know several of my professors had to sit through presentations or speeches about Disney, so I鈥檓 sure they aren鈥檛 surprised that this is where I鈥檝e ended up!鈥 Meghan shares. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would have landed my initial full-time gig at Disney as a public affairs support specialist without (Professor Stefanie) Moore and the Digital Analytics course. The social listening and analytics skills I learned in that course were invaluable.鈥

Meghan鈥檚 work in communication and public affairs has touched many important Disney celebrations and grand openings in recent years: Disney Hollywood Studios鈥 30th anniversary, NBA Experience at Disney Springs, Star Wars: Galaxy鈥檚 Edge at Disney鈥檚 Hollywood Studios, Disney Skyliner and more. And most recently, she enjoyed being a part of the 50th anniversary milestone.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor to be part of the Walt Disney World family during 鈥楾he World鈥檚 Most Magical Celebration,鈥" she said. "My favorite thing about this milestone anniversary is that our cast members are at its heart, and I have the privilege of sharing their stories with fans from around the world. It鈥檚 a very special feeling, and it鈥檚 one I won鈥檛 ever forget.鈥

She is grateful that her Kent State experience prepared her for this path.

鈥淜ent State gave me the tools I needed to understand and thrive in this industry. But more importantly, it gave me examples of the type of professional, leader and person I wanted to be when I left campus,鈥 Meghan says. 鈥淢y instructors and professors were so incredibly knowledgeable, kind and courageous; they didn鈥檛 shy away from discussing tough topics and they encouraged me to do my absolute best. From the moment I stepped into their classrooms, I knew I had someone in my corner. I know that if I approach every working relationship with the grace shown to me by my CCI instructors, I鈥檓 doing something right.鈥