Mandy Weinman ‘94 grew up in Lutherville, Md. She was a “12-year girl,” at Bryn Mawr, attending from first through twelfth grade. After graduation, Weinman attended the University of Pennsylvania and  graduated in 1998 with a degree in communications and a focus in marketing. From there, she moved to Orlando to work for Walt Disney World. She now lives in her hometown of Lutherville with her husband and two sons. Weinman is a recruiter with the Campus and Recruitment Team for The Walt Disney Company.

The best part of my Bryn Mawr experience was learning that the world is my oyster. I never felt that there was anything I couldn’t do, and I took that mentality with me as I ventured off into the “real world.”
In my senior yearbook, we had a section that was a prediction about where we would be at our 20th reunion. In it, I was said to have opened the latest theme park to rival Walt Disney World. I was also voted Mickey Mouse’s best friend over Minnie Mouse in our class poll. Well, after I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, I DID go to work for The Disney Company! I joined the Walt Disney World College Program as a park greeter and I learned more about the company I love than I ever dreamed possible. That was supposed to be my last summer of fun before entering the “real world,” yet this year I celebrate my 20th anniversary with The Walt Disney Company.

I ended up staying on after my program ended and became a full time cast member in the Magic Kingdom operations department. I coordinated New Year’s Eve that year and soon thereafter got a temporary position (kind of like an internship) as a sales coordinator for an event called Grad Nite. We hosted high school seniors from all over the country to come party at Walt Disney World and featured entertainment including Britney Spears and BBMak. Six months later, I transferred into the entertainment department where I was a performer, coordinator, and trainer. In 2004, I accepted a position as a manager for Magic Kingdom’s Parades and Fireworks Department where I got to open the fireworks show “Wishes,” which just closed last May.
In 2005, I dropped my [employment] status from full time to seasonal and moved back to Baltimore, but I truly missed being around kids. I decided to see if teaching was the route I wanted to go. I was lucky enough to be able to intern as a teaching assistant in both first and fifth grades back where it all started. Yep, Bryn Mawr! In June of 2006, I entered the Johns Hopkins School of Education, and in one year I received my masters degree in teaching. The following fall, I began teaching fifth grade at Fort Garrison Elementary. It was also at this time that I found a new position with Disney where I could maintain my connection with the company and work from home. The position was with the College Recruitment Team. I interviewed college students looking to participate in the Disney College Program just as I had done nearly ten years prior.

Trying to decide what my favorite part of my job is, is like trying to decide which kid is your favorite! It’s impossible. I have story after story I could tell, but I think overall the magic and happiness that I am able to bring to each person’s life that I touch is what I enjoy most. Our department’s hashtag is #WeChangeLives because that is our goal with each and every person to whom we speak. In all the roles I have held with Disney, I have wanted to create a feeling of happiness for each person I met which they could hold onto forever.
 

    • in the Gym Drill Banner March with Fatima Mumford ’34

Twins Hassa Blake '00 and Hussa Blake Mumford '00, P’34 say they found their bold voices at Bryn Mawr. Now they are using them to benefit others in Maryland after being appointed to positions by Governor Wes Moore. 
Hassa was appointed as a commissioner for Baltimore County on the Maryland Health Care Commission where she will work with policymakers, residents and providers to improve access and health care for all Maryland residents.  Hussa was appointed to the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center Governing Board (MLDSC), examining education data to address challenges in the Maryland education system.  
Through their work Hassa will work with policymakers, healthcare providers and residents needing resources, and Hussa works to improve the education system through data understanding.  “We have constantly been in roles that are truly imperative to everyone’s everyday lives.  That impact what you do and how you function,” Hussa said, “but most people don’t understand what we do, until it is very necessary to understand.”  
While the Maryland Health Care Commission can appear more straightforward in that it deals with healthcare, “It’s not just providing access to a service or a health resource,” Hassa said, “It’s also looking at policy.”  The MLDSC might be less well known, but no less important.  It collects data on student performance across the state from kindergarten through higher education to guide policy and improve the education system.  As a board member, Hussa will be helping to approve the budget, establishing policies and serving as an expert with understanding of the intersection of education and technology.  
The twin sisters were talking on the phone when Hassa saw an email from Governor Moore’s Office, prompting Hussa to check her email as well.  “We know that [Governor] Wes Moore and his team in general have made a concerted effort to really make sure that all of the commissions, offices and boards are representative of Maryland,” Hassa said.
Both sisters were involved in conversations with Governor Moore’s transition team prior to him taking office and have built careers in fields where they have often felt they haven’t always been heard. “We understand how underrepresented youth are, how underrepresented women are, we understand how underrepresented immigrants are,” Hussa said, “Because these are all a part of our identities.”
Born in Cameroon, they were raised in Baltimore and joined Bryn Mawr as freshman. “When we entered Bryn Mawr in 1996 as ninth graders, we were quiet and shy kids,” Hussa said. “We found our voice at Bryn Mawr in ways we didn’t anticipate.”
While at Bryn Mawr the sisters were a part of the Diversity Committee, working with administration to help students transitioning from public school as they adjusted to the Bryn Mawr curriculum, setting and culture.  They also worked with the administration to recognize inequities impacting students on campus and how policy and procedure can be adjusted to consider all students.
Through all their work on campus, the sisters learned that their voices matter but also “make sure that you are helping others find their voice too,” Hussa said.
Hassa stresses the importance of Bryn Mawr as a safe place to learn activism. “You’re never too young [to use your voice,]. Start now. Bryn Mawr is the best place to start, and then work together moving forward.”
All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney
The biggest takeaway that I got from Bryn Mawr is not to take “no” for an answer. I had to get creative and think out of the box. Debbie Parker - the technology teacher - taught me AP Pascal (a computer language that is much like Latin at this point) when I was a sophomore. No other computer science classes were offered past that, so a friend at Gilman and I reached out to a few teachers and were able to create an independent study for the next year of a different computer language. Because I had the drive and determination, I was able to find ways to continue doing what I enjoyed doing. I also give credit to Arna Margolis who taught me that learning can be incredibly fun and relevant. When I presented her with a topic for my 10th grade term paper, she replied, “Do you REALLY have any interest in this?” When I replied no and told her (somewhat flippantly) that I was interested in Disney, she came back with an answer I never expected. “WRITE ABOUT THAT! Isn’t EuroDisney getting ready to open in the Spring?” With her guidance, my 10th grade term paper was on the effects that EuroDisney (now Disneyland Paris) would have on the economy and culture of France. Little did she know that the passion she helped fire up led me to a career with the company I adore!

I was recently named the Promise Leader Ambassador for the state of Maryland by Sandy Hook Promise. I am a very active member of Sandy Hook Promise which is an organization founded by some of the family members who lost loved ones in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. They work to prevent gun violence before the gun ever enters the picture by focusing on prevention programs. I support the needs of all Maryland promise leaders, and at present, those in surrounding states without an ambassador. I have presented to the Maryland State Board of Education and have spoken to senators and representatives in D.C. My passion for this cause is something that Bryn Mawr instilled in me when they taught me not to take “no” for an answer.

The piece of advice I would give to girls graduating now is to leave no stone unturned. When you get to the next chapter of your life (be it college, work, travel, etc.) don’t miss out on everything that is available to you. Network with people in areas that interest you and build on those relationships. Explore your college campus as there may be places you never realized existed! (At Penn, I discovered the botanical garden during the spring semester of my senior year! If only I learned of it during my freshman year, it would have been a whole new world!) Explore the places you live, and don’t put it off. (I regret not visiting more of historical Philadelphia during the four years I lived there!) If there is something you want to do, find a way to do it! Excuses are only made by those who have given up.
 
Located in Baltimore, Maryland, The Bryn Mawr School is a private all-girls pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school with a coed preschool for ages 2 months through 5 years. Bryn Mawr provides students with exceptional educational opportunities on a beautiful 26-acre campus within the city limits. Inquisitive girls, excellent teaching, strong student-teacher relationships and a clear mission sustain our vibrant school community where girls always come first.