While Universal Studios theme parks are a vacation destination to most people…for Nease graduate Case Scherer, it’s just another day at the office. Case, a class of 2014 grad, visited Nease to share his story with both Academy of Hospitality & Tourism juniors and seniors and Stellar Academy of Engineering students. As a guest speaker, he has the distinction of straddling two worlds which don’t collide all that often: Hospitality and Engineering.
Case has always loved theme parks. After graduating from Nease, he started his college career at the University of Central Florida, studying engineering. He also got a part-time job at Universal, working as a ride attendant on the Kong ride. He then moved up to the opening team for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, and watched as that ride was built from the ground up. But, right before that ride opened, Case earned an internship with Universal Studios industrial engineering department…bringing his interest and experience in engineering together with his love of the parks. He spent over a year in the role, working on various projects within different departments and getting a look at the life of an industrial engineer. He headed up research studies and crunched numbers, he helped advise on Halloween Horror Nights haunted house guest efficiency, and exercised the skills he learned in college. But, when COVID hit, his internship was shut down, and he headed back into the world of attractions. He realized that this was his true love: utilizing so many of the skills he had learned within his industrial engineering training, but taking them into the hospitality realm. Now, Case works as an entertainment coordinator during Halloween Horror Nights, and sees a future in attraction management. The Academy students were fascinated to hear about his professional journey, and had the chance to ask Case questions about not only his engineering education at UCF and his thoughts on completing the IB program while at Nease, but also enjoyed some behind-the-scenes stories and information from a theme park insider. We thank Case for coming back to Nease to share his story with our students!
