Cambria Covell is the first to admit she is somewhat obsessed with all things Disney.

She grew up close enough to Disneyland to visit the theme park fairly frequently as a child. She says her favorite places at the park, Fantasyland and Main Street, U.S.A., also were park founder Walt Disney’s favorite.

She can quote lines from most of the company’s classic movies and counts “Beauty and the Beast,” “Dumbo” and “Mary Poppins” among her favorites.

“I’m kind of a big Disney nerd. I’m the girl who on her 18th birthday rented five Disney movies,” said Covell, 20.

“Apparently I used to sit and tell my baby sitter about ‘Beauty and the Beast’ when I was 3. Apparently it’s been a lifelong obsession.”

In August, she will delve a little deeper into her Disney fascination. That’s when her six-month internship at Disneyland begins.

The Disney College Program offers college students paid internship positions at its California and Florida theme parks. Internships are available in a variety of areas, including culinary, attractions (working with rides or shows), cosmetology and hospitality. Covell will work as a custodial intern.

While the position does include typical janitorial duties, including cleaning restrooms, emptying trash cans and busing tables, it also features interaction with guests at the theme park, including answering any questions they might have.

Covell said that was why she signed up for the position. She worked as a tour guide in high school in California and enjoys helping people.

Depending on how her internship goes, Covell may have more opportunities to work in the park. At the end of six months, interns might be asked to sign on for other projects, she said.

While she doesn’t aspire to a career as a Disneyland custodian, Covell does hope her internship might be a foot in the door at the Walt Disney Co.

“It sounded like a really, really good opportunity,” she said. “They invest in you with the idea that you’re going to stay in the company.”

Staying with the company could spark a career for Covell, whose artistic side is strongly developed. She likes to act and write, and her love of literature led her to declare herself an English major during the year and a half she spent at Flathead Valley Community College.

“I like creative stuff,” she said. When thinking of Disney, “mostly people think about the parks and the movies. But they do some creative things. It’s a really creative company.”

Disney has its own wedding dress company with original gowns inspired by famous cartoon princesses. Disney also owns a publishing company, Hyperion Books, which has published works by authors such as Mitch Albom and Sherman Alexie.

The company owns the television network ABC as well, which puts out shows Covell loves, including “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“I’m kind of a television nerd. I would like to write screenplays,” she said.

But Covell is interested in more than just writing scripts. She said her dream job would involve “doing something with movies — anything that involves storytelling and getting stories out there.” While she writes short stories, poetry and has published a novel, she prefers the idea of working on a TV show or movie to writing books.

“You get to create a whole entire world and bring it to life. You work with sets and costumes,” she said.

As an example, she cited Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter movies, which include elaborate sets and costumes to bring the title character’s wizarding world to life.

“How fun would it be to create something like that?” Covell asked.

Whether she stays with Disney or not, the internship already has helped Covell accomplish her goal of returning to California. She has spent the last year and a half in the Flathead Valley; her mother and stepfather, Kate and John Hanson, operate Hanson’s Carriage Co. in Marion. But Covell longed to get back to where she came from.

“I knew that to do what I wanted to do, I couldn’t stay here. There are not a lot of [screenwriting] opportunities here,” she said. “I knew I had to get back to California.”

That she is moving back to California to work for the company that created the movies she has loved all her life is a dream come true.

The internship will keep Covell busy, but she hopes to write about her experiences at the theme park on her Disney blog, whistlewhileyouworkgirl.blogspot.com. Additional information about the Disney College Program is available at www.wdwcollegeprogram.com.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.