Amanda Harris ’24, Entertainment Design, has overcome many challenges to find a home, both academically and literally. Now, in the midst of her second internship at Universal Studios Orlando, Harris believes she’s found her career as well.
Harris spent the first two years of her life at an orphanage in Bulgaria before finally being adopted by “an amazing family,” she says, who brought her to Kentucky. She struggled early on at school, especially with reading, and teachers suspected both the language barrier and a learning disability were affecting her skills.
“Growing up I hated how I couldn’t do things that ‘normal kids’ could do like reading Harry Potter,” she says. “I became frustrated with myself, and something that brought me joy during this hard time was art. I was able to express myself without words.”
Soon, art wasn’t just an escape; it was her essential skill. “My art skills just kept developing, and my creative mind just kept growing. Once I started to do art, I didn’t care that I couldn’t do those other things because I could do things that other kids weren’t as strong at.”
In 2019, just before her senior year of high school, Harris visited Universal Studios Orlando with her parents. Waiting in line for the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride, she was “in shock” at the detailed, authentic-looking rocks and fantastic architecture all around her. “I remember saying, ‘Man, I wish I could design something like this,’” she says. “My mom then informed me that there were probably programs that had a focus in designing theme parks. That’s when I found Ringling College.”
Four years later, in the summer of 2023, Harris returned to Universal—this time as an intern in Facility Design. The experience went so well for her, and the Universal team was so impressed with her skills, that she returned again in the spring of 2024, now working on Show Set Design for the new, immersive Epic Universe park. This second internship has been focused on problem-solving design issues for a particular attraction in the park’s Dark Universe, as well as using AutoCAD for specific scenes inside the attraction. “I have officially decided that Show Set is where I would love to end up getting a career,” says Harris.
“It’s taken me a long time to realize that if it weren’t for all these hard things that I went through as a child, I wouldn’t have focused so much on my creative mind and developing my love for art. I am who I am today because of all these things that happened on my journey through life. I wouldn’t change a single thing. I am really grateful for the life I have now.”
