A 5-year-old girl watched in wonder as the Mad Tea Party’s swirling teacups at Magic Kingdom went round and round. In awe of the magic, she asked her grandfather, “How does this ride work? Who created this?” These two questions sparked little Stephanie’s dream to become a Disney engineer.
From Disney Dream to Reality: Stephanie’s Engineering Journey
Stephanie Petty first visited Walt Disney World on a childhood trip with her grandparents. Riding attraction after attraction, she fell in love with Disney and grew curious about how such thrilling rides were brought to life.
Her grandfather, an engineer himself, explained how cast members work behind the scenes every day to design, build and maintain iconic park attractions.
BOTTOM: Stephanie’s children recreating the photo.
“I just thought it was so cool that there were people whose whole job was to make rides for other people to go on and make them happy,” Stephanie explained. “That trip is what made me want to become a Disney engineer.”
Stephanie took her first steps towards this dream in 2009 on the Disney College Program. After completing her program, she met her husband and took on a new role of mom before returning to her studies and completing her degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2020.
“All of the years, the hard work, the late nights studying, waking up early for my children … It was tough, but the one goal that fueled me through it all was getting back to Disney and becoming an engineer,” Stephanie said. “It’s all I ever wanted.”
Stephanie Achieves Her Disney World Dream
Stephanie was hired as a Disney engineer in 2024, accomplishing that goal she had since she was five.
“For me, becoming a Disney engineer was the equivalent of how some people feel about getting into the NFL,” she said. “There were some days that it felt like a long shot, but I knew it was going to work out.”
One of Stephanie’s areas of focus as Disney engineer is working on our free modes of transportation across Walt Disney World. This includes Disney Skyliner, monorails, watercraft vehicles and more.
“My kids think it’s so cool that I work with the monorails and Disney Skyliner,” Stephanie said. “I remember riding the monorails when I was a kid, and my daughter’s favorite ride when she was little was the parking lot trams. It is surreal to me that now I get to work on those and help make magic for other guests.”
Inspiring The Next Generation of Engineers
To Stephanie, one of the greatest things about working at Disney is sharing the magic with her children. Her daughter is fascinated with Disney just like she was as a kid and her son wants to be an engineer one day, too.
“I’m thankful every day that I get to live out my dream and show my kids that anything is possible. I want them to know that there are few things that can stop you if you put your mind to it,” Stephanie said.
And the inspiration that Stephanie instills goes beyond just her own kids. She’s living proof to other aspiring engineers that — just like her — they can go from a young girl watching a magical attraction in awe at Disney World to engineering that magic themselves.
“It makes me so happy to know that there are other little girls out there who want to be a Disney engineer,” Stephanie said. “It’s unbelievable that I’ve accomplished that after all these years and can be a source of inspiration for children and other women in STEM.”
Interested in starting a career at Disney like Stephanie? Head to DisneyCareers.com to learn more.