Bowie State University Hosts Disney on the Yard

Mickey Mouse and Disney recruiters brought real career pathways to Maryland’s oldest HBCU

Photos by Ryan Pelham, Bowie State University

Bowie State University welcomed The Walt Disney Company to its Prince George’s County campus on September 15 for Disney on the Yard, a daylong career exploration experience that connected students directly with internships, mentorship and career pathways across one of the world’s most recognized entertainment companies. The event brought Disney recruiters, working professionals, alumni and industry partners to campus for a series of panels, networking sessions and career conversations spanning storytelling, media, sports, technology, communications, business and entertainment.

For the students who filled the University Student Center that day, the visit offered something rarer than a typical career fair. It offered a direct line to one of the most competitive industries in the country, delivered by the people who work inside it every day.

“Disney on the Yard exemplifies transformative partnership that helps prepare our students to lead and thrive in a global workforce,” said Dr. Aminta H. Breaux, president of Bowie State University. “By connecting our students directly with industry leaders, accomplished alumni and career opportunities at The Walt Disney Company, we are advancing Bowie State’s commitment to student success, experiential learning and career readiness. Experiences like this expand students’ professional networks, inspire new possibilities and reinforce that their talent, creativity and leadership are valued in every industry.”

Breaux, the first woman to lead Bowie State University in its history, has spent much of her presidency building bridges between the classroom and the working world, and Disney on the Yard fit squarely into that vision.

Held as part of Disney’s Maryland HBCU Tour, the visit is one stop in a broader effort by the company to strengthen its pipeline with historically Black colleges and universities across the state. Bowie State, founded in 1865 as Maryland’s oldest HBCU, was a natural stop on that route.

The visit also reflected a broader entrepreneurial current running through Breaux’s presidency. Since taking office in 2017, she has pushed to embed an entrepreneurial mindset across every discipline at Bowie State, work that led to the opening of the university’s Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community, a residence hall built around an on campus innovation center. Disney on the Yard added another practical layer to that vision, showing students that entrepreneurial thinking and corporate career paths are not opposing tracks but connected skills they can carry with them wherever they land.

Panels That Went Beyond the Career Fair Table

Throughout the day, students moved between sessions featuring National Geographic, Disney technology professionals and recruiters, and representatives from ESPN, the Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program and the UNCF. The conversations covered internships, scholarships, professional development, and the strategies students need to break into competitive industries where relationships often matter as much as resumes.

Students left the sessions with a clearer picture of how their coursework and campus leadership experience translate into real opportunity. Disney representatives walked through the mechanics of the Disney College Program, the Innovation Challenge, and the National Geographic Content Scholarship, giving students a roadmap rather than a pep talk.

The day built toward the Disney on the Yard: HBCU Yard Takeover in front of the University Student Center, where the career fair energy met campus culture head on. Students connected one-on-one with recruiters and program representatives, asked questions about applications and deadlines, and walked away with contacts they could follow up with directly.

When Mickey Mouse Took the Field

The afternoon’s biggest moment belonged to Drum Major Mickey Mouse, who joined Bowie State’s Symphony of Soul Marching Band for a performance that turned career day into a full campus celebration. The collaboration paired Disney showmanship with the precision and pride the Symphony of Soul is known for across the HBCU marching band circuit, and it became the centerpiece of the afternoon.

The moment captured something Disney on the Yard has built its reputation on since becoming a signature initiative for the company. It is not simply a recruiting stop. It is a chance to show up inside HBCU culture rather than ask students to step outside of it to be considered.

Building a Pipeline, One Campus at a Time

Disney on the Yard has grown into a recurring initiative designed to strengthen the company’s connections with HBCUs by expanding access to internships, mentorship, professional development and long-term career opportunities for HBCU students and graduates. For Bowie State, the visit reinforced a broader institutional commitment to strategic partnerships that put students in front of leading employers well before graduation.

That commitment shows up in the university’s numbers. Bowie State now offers more than 65 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs across arts and sciences, technology, business, education and healthcare, and it earned a Research College and University designation in the 2025 Carnegie Research Activity Classification. Founded in 1865, it remains the first Historically Black College or University in Maryland and one of the ten oldest in the country.

Days like Disney on the Yard show what that history looks like in motion. A campus built on access and opportunity welcomed one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and the students who walked away with new contacts, new confidence and a new sense of what is possible were the ones who mattered most.

Photo Credit: Ryan Pelham, Bowie State University

About Bowie State University

Founded in 1865, Bowie State University is the first Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in Maryland and one of the ten oldest in the country. Bowie State has earned the ‘Research College and University’ designation in the 2025 Carnegie Research Activity Classification. As a leading institution of higher learning, Bowie State offers more than 65 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs across arts and sciences, technology, business, education, healthcare and related disciplines. The university provides high-quality and affordable educational opportunities in a supportive environment that empowers students to think critically, make new discoveries, value differences and emerge as leaders in a highly technical, rapidly changing global society. For more information about Bowie State University, visit bowiestate.edu.