Every Imagineer has a unique story that brought them to their profession and eventually to Disney. For sisters Saryiah and Sirine the person that inspired their passion was their father.
Via Disney Parks Blog
What’s Happening:
- In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Disney Parks Blog is highlighting the stories and talents of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Cast Members.
- Among this month’s featured profiles are Sariya Singsanong Park and Sirine Singsanong Bunkua. Both women are Imagineers, and for them a career at Disney runs in the family.
- Both girls were inspired by their father Surapol “Paul” Singsanong who worked with the company for decades, retiring in 2016.
- Paul’s role at Disney was as a structural designer and he worked on such projects as Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, the Grand opening of Disney California Adventure Park and Tokyo DisneySea, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Cars Land, and Shanghai Disneyland among others.
- Now Sariya and Sirine are following in his footsteps, with Sariya working as a Program Specialist, and Sirine is Project Manager.
- Sariya’s current role is with Human Resources where she manages the Imaginations Design Competition, the professional internship program, and academic outreach efforts at Imagineering.
- As for Sirine, as a Project Manager she makes sure projects remain on schedule and on budget while also reporting on the status of current and future projects.
Via Disney Parks Blog
What They’re Saying:
- Sirine on highlights of being an Imagineer: “My career highlights so far include working on recent projects for Hong Kong Disneyland and the overall development of Shanghai Disney Resort. Working on Shanghai Disneyland was really special to me because I had the chance to work on the development of that park alongside my Dad. We had a business trip where we traveled together to Shanghai and it will be something I will never forget.”
- Sariya on Inclusion: “Inclusion to me is an environment where everyone can feel heard, understood, add value, and where people from different cultures can feel confident in being themselves. My advice to allies would be to learn from those with different perspectives and take the time to listen and truly understand their points of view.”
- Sirine on representation: “I’m happy we as Imagineers will be able to give more opportunities and a perspective on representation to children visiting our parks, resorts and other experiences in the near future!”