It is a small world after all at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando where three former residents of the Eastern Shore have formed a connection as coworkers.

“It’s truly happenstance that we all ended up here at the same time,” said Julie Piper, from Fairhope.

Piper works as a guest experience manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Barnes, from Daphne. Jenny Pollard, from Spanish Fort, works under Piper as vacation planners at Animal Kingdom.

“In the almost 34 years that I’ve worked with the company, I have never worked with two people from my same hometown, ever,” Piper said thinking back on her experience in all four parks.

There was one man Piper worked with before from the Eastern Shore, she said, but he has passed away. Pollard said she only knew one other girl from the Eastern Shore who is now working with Disney’s college program. Laura Barnes said outside of her twin sister, she doesn’t know anyone else from Daphne working in Orlando.

Their meeting was by chance as Barnes explained that Disney's work placement is assigned based on roles you pick and what is available.

Pollard said on her first day of training, two years ago in September, that she noticed Piper’s nametag on the wall that read “JULIE: FAIRHOPE, AL.” Pollard said she asked everyone, “Julie’s from Fairhope?” to see if it was true.

Once the two were finally scheduled together, Piper said, “You’re the one that was asking about me!” A month later, Barnes joined the crew, and the three bonded over their shared memories of home.

“It’s fun to talk about places that you know and restaurants and family and roads,” Piper said. “It makes you feel connected in a different way. You have the love of Disney, but you still have the love of home.”

Piper said that as a college student she was unsure of what she wanted to do as a career. With her parents’ support, she made the decision to work for Disney after college when she was offered a full-time position and has been working there since 1990.

“That seven-hour trip from Orlando to the Eastern Shore became a part of my life,” Piper said.
Barnes said she moved to Orlando during COVID-19 in 2020 and will have been working with Disney for two years this December.

Pollard will have been working for two years in September if she doesn’t include the time she spent working with Disney’s college program, which she applied for the day after she turned 18.

Pollard said a regular day working in vacation planning, which both Pollard and Barnes work in, involves a variety of guest services from selling tickets and validating resident IDs to making reservations for dining and helping people set up itineraries.

“There’s a lot of guest interaction,” Barnes said. “A lot of people don’t really know exactly what Disney has to offer, so our job is to let them know all that we can offer them.”

Piper said their goals are to make anyone’s visit to the park “less intimidating” by helping each guest, from those who "have read every single blog” to those who buy the matching t-shirts before buying the tickets, which is one of Pollard’s most memorable encounters.

“My job is to be a Disney nerd,” Pollard said. "That’s been my favorite part of it. People come to see me so that I can be a Disney nerd.”

Barnes said, “It had always been a dream to live near Disney, so working at Disney was just like an added bonus.”

All three coworkers try to visit home regularly. Barnes wants to come back for Shrimp Festival, Piper plans to visit within the next week, and Pollard returns monthly.

Pollard encouraged guests to remember that Disney World “is more than just a pretty castle. Real people work here. We all have stories.”

Next time you’re in Animal Kingdom, be on the lookout for someone from your hometown and remember to ask them about their story.