Theme Park Enthusiasts president finds a fast track toward a career

RIT’s Theme Park Enthusiasts club has been a key piece of Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival since the club formed in 2014, with its intricate displays of model amusement rides, complete with moving parts and flashing lights.

But the club does more than entertain visitors. It’s helping some of its members land co-ops and careers at theme parks after they graduate.

Lily Roberts, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major from Phoenix, N.Y., is president of the club. She completed a co-op last year at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando and has accepted another this summer with Universal’s Global Attractions Program, overseeing the redeveloping and refurbishment of the company’s Orlando attractions. She plans to graduate in December.

“I’m hoping when the year is over, I’ll secure a job in the theme park industry, ideally in the Orlando area,” she said.

Growing up, Roberts, a big fan of roller coasters, often visited theme parks on her family vacations.

“When I was finishing high school and deciding what I wanted to do, I said I wished I could do something related to theme parks. Finding out RIT had this club was amazing to hear. It definitely influenced my decision to come here.”

There are about 30 active members of the club, which focuses on three things: their exhibit at Imagine RIT; taking trips to theme parks and conferences where they can network with industry professionals; and participating in amusement ride engineering competitions. The RIT team has placed first in the four times it has entered.

Before last year’s co-op with Universal, Roberts received three other engineering co-ops through RIT’s University-Wide Career Fair, designing light switches as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. She eventually applied on her own for an internship with Universal and was accepted.     

“My supervisor mentioned that my participation in RIT Theme Park Enthusiasts and previous co-ops definitely helped me land the role, since I had engineering industry experience,” she said.

Her first experience with Universal had Roberts working on tasks ranging from drafting technical documentation to assisting with annual inspection procedures.

“The opportunity to tackle these challenges and contribute to the park’s development was not only exciting, but also immensely valuable to my academic and professional growth,” she said. “I was also fortunate enough to shadow the central shops team, gaining hands-on experience in welding, machining, and Fiberglas repair. Each experience built upon the previous one, leaving me with a broader understanding of sustaining engineering and a new perspective on the field.”

The club’s Imagine RIT exhibit each year has a theme. For 2026, it will have six sections with a pirate theme, complete with an animatronic parrot named Buckles.

Roberts hopes to join several other graduates who were in the Theme Park Enthusiasts club who have gone on to work for major theme parks, often to help design new rides.

“Being part of the mechanical engineering team at Epic Universe was a dream come true,” she said. “I cannot overstate how impactful this experience has been for me. The engineers I worked alongside are some of the most dedicated and skilled professionals I have met, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from each and every one of them. They were all more than willing to share their knowledge and expertise, both on-site and in the office, and I am excited to apply everything I’ve learned as I move forward in my career.”

If you go

The Imagine RIT: Creativity and innovation Festival will be held this year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 25. It will feature more than 400 exhibits ranging from robotics, AI, performing arts, engineering, fine arts, and more. It is free and open to the public, with free shuttle service from Monroe Community College. The Theme Park Enthusiasts club will have their exhibit in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center.