Over the last 35 years as a Cast Member of the Disneyland Resort, Chrysalis Orange County volunteer Kim has mentored many along their employment journeys. She has a knack for recognizing talent, a passion for helping others, and a natural inclination toward nurturing and developing future leaders. In an instant, her warmth and charm are apparent and fitting for her job working at the “Happiest Place on Earth.”

Kim never forgets when she found her calling in leadership, recalling a college professor of hers joking: “you like to be in charge.” Though she spent much of her college years as a journalist, she was drawn to becoming an editor and taking control of the newsroom. At a crossroads of whether or not to transfer to a California State University, she was encouraged to apply for a management training program at the Disneyland Resort that would alter the course of her career. As a leader, she has made her mark on countless Cast Members since then.

Regardless of the role she held at the resort, she was always drawn to helping others. In addition to volunteering at Chrysalis, she has years of experience as a volunteer member of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team. Outside of her day-to-day tasks as a Senior Manager, she enjoys spending time helping Cast Members navigate their own career paths. “Not everyone has aspirations to stay at the Resort their whole lives,” she says, “and I think it is pretty cool that I can help them go wherever their heart wants to go.”

When the Orange County center opened, the Disneyland Resort became one of Chrysalis’ biggest champions in the area. Kim was very intrigued by the mission to help those experiencing barriers to employment and knew she wanted to take on more opportunities to help others in her free time.

As a volunteer with Chrysalis, Kim assists clients by translating their work history and skills onto resumes and facilitates practice interviews, both virtually as well as in-person (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). As someone with experience interviewing job applicants for Disneyland Resort, she is an invaluable asset to practice interviewees at Chrysalis.

Kim’s favorite part of a practice interview is when the interviewee hands her their resume. She sees how their face beams with a sense of accomplishment when their eyes catch a glimpse of the talents and skills recorded on the paper.

She reminds them to put their resume somewhere they can see it often so that they can bring that pride into their interview and highlight why they are the right fit for the job. “Just the smile on their faces,” she says, “Ok, this is worth every second I spend here.” 

Kim loves staying in touch with her team at the Orange County center and gets updates from them. “When a client gets a job, we want to know,” she reflects, remembering how impactful it was for clients to ring the Success Bell before Chrysalis adapted to its temporary virtual model during the pandemic. Knowing that she played a direct role in a client changing their life and securing a job reinforces Kim’s enthusiasm for serving her community.

In every one-on-one session with a client, Kim sees past a nervous interviewee and finds amazing, talented individuals ready for this next step. “You’re going to find someone that will take a chance on you,” she tells clients, “just tell your story.”

The Volunteer & Program team is currently recruiting volunteers to support clients virtually – please click here to learn more.