Intern Spotlight: Meet Colton!

The University Career Center is excited to introduce you to Colton Barton! An extraordinary student leader who made every moment count at UTSA! In addition to participating in a diverse range of internships and experiential learning opportunities, Colton was Fundraising Director for the Global Business Club and Supplemental Instruction Leader for Accounting.

With his extensive success in securing internships, Colton was selected to be one of seven Intern Mentors for the Career Center’s Internship Week in Spring 2018. During the Week’s Intern Networking Mixer, Colton shared his experience with students and coached them on best practices in securing internships with top companies. He is an excellent example of how engagement, networking, and hard work can pay off!

Colton found his first opportunity online at the Disney Internship site. As a freshman, he applied and was accepted to the Disney College Program for Spring 2014. “Working in the USA Pavilion of Epcot at the American Adventure Attraction was an incredible experience that opened many doors. It started my career and made me want to travel,” Colton shared. At that point, Colton knew that he wanted to expand his travels and study abroad. So he worked full time as a server for a year and a half while going to school and saved up for a study abroad experience in Europe.

And his experiential learning opportunities did not stop there! In the following years, Colton became a Supplemental Instruction Leader for Accounting, interned with the Marriott at one of their signature properties, and studied abroad in Spain with the College of Business. Throughout his college experience, he continued to stay involved on-campus as well as pursue outside opportunities. In Fall of 2016, Colton interned at Southwest Airlines in Corporate Sales, where he managed the company’s meetings program and worked on several business development projects. Upon conclusion of that internship, he accepted a position with the College of Business International office and remained there for his final three semesters at UTSA.  As COB International Office Intern, he helped to market many programs to over 5,000 business students.

Colton’s vast array of experiences challenged him to take his pursuits to the next level! In summer of 2017, Colton competed in the World’s Largest Extreme Entrepreneurship Competition in Italy with 600+ people from over 20 nations. His work was so phenomenal that his team was declared one of the winners and received funding from investors! His adventures continued as he attended the UTSA Confucius Institute in China for 12 days in spring 2018. “It was an incredible eye opening experience! It is open to all UTSA students, so I encourage everyone to apply,” Colton commented.  Little did he know that his first experience with Disney would take him all the way across the world, provide him with unbelievable opportunities, and confirm his career direction.

In May 2018, Colton graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Sports Event & Tourism Management with a minor in International Management. “My journey has come full circle as I have accepted a position with Disney, working on the Corporate Partnerships across all of their brands,” stated Colton as we wrapped up the interview. “My dream is to continue to grow, meet new individuals, and learn more about the world.”

Colton left us with a quote from Michelangelo, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

Join us in recognizing Colton for his outstanding work! And connect with him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/colton-barton/

If you would like to learn more about internship & experiential learning opportunities, visit the UTSA Career Center or schedule an appointment with the Experiential Learning Coordinator today!

By Rachael Fletcher
Rachael Fletcher Senior Associate Director of Experiential Learning