An introduction. A conversation. A connection. Sometimes that’s all it takes to launch a successful career.

An Introduction

For Cal Poly Maritime Academy grad Cianna Coyle, it started with an unexpected meeting in Hawaii. A group of academy seniors rented the tour boat where she worked. Coyle met them and listened to their stories as they introduced her to the opportunities available in the maritime industry.

“I didn’t even know this industry existed until I saw the [Training Ship] Golden Bear sail into Aloha Tower,” Coyle said. “The entire maritime industry was foreign to me, but the cadets told me about various opportunities, the amount of money people make and the school itself.”

Then they offered a challenge that stayed with her: “Why settle for something so small when you could shoot for something big?” 

So she applied to Cal Poly Maritime Academy the following February; six months later, she attended her first class.

Coyle originally imagined pursuing a career aboard tankers or with a cargo company, but through her four years at the academy, her experiences taught her to think beyond the job itself. The question, she says, is simple: What do you want out of your life, a short-term job or a lifelong career?

A Conversation

During her senior cruise at Cal Poly Maritime Academy, Coyle participated in informal conversations with Capt. Samar Bannister and other female mates. The discussions brought seniors and freshmen together to talk about commercial cruise experiences, life at sea and the realities of working in the maritime industry.

But what stayed with Coyle most were the stories and the advice: “Make friends and be kind to people because it is a small industry,” Coyle recalled.

A Connection

“My close friend and fellow Cal Poly Maritime Academy alum Ryan Bean and I both worked for Celebrity Cruises for our commercial cruise internship. When he graduated, he started working at Disney Cruise Line,” Coyle said.

During her senior year, Coyle saw Bean at a Fall Career Fair, where he introduced her to Dennis Dupree, Disney Cruise Line’s U.S. recruiter.

“The maritime industry is built on relationships, and our role is to give students as many opportunities as possible to start building those relationships before they graduate,” said Stephanie B. Francis, MBA, director of Career Services. “Career fairs bring students face to face with employers and alumni, and as Cianna’s experience shows, one conversation can open an entirely new career path.”

Over the next several months, Coyle divided her time between studying for her U.S. Coast Guard examinations and interviewing with Dupree. After passing her exams, everything moved quickly, and soon she received a job offer from Disney.

Within 30 days, Coyle had completed her paperwork, received her license and boarded a Disney Cruise Line ship as a Post Graduate 3rd Officer, a six-month position designed to evaluate her skills, experience and potential to become a full-time member of the crew. She didn’t need the full six months. Four and a half months after walking aboard, Coyle was promoted to full-time 3rd Officer.

Another conversation had changed the direction of her life. The career she never considered had suddenly become her own.

“You never know whose life you’re going to change, or whose heart you're going to touch.”

Today, Coyle works in an environment where introductions, conversations and connections remain central to what she does.

As a member of Disney Cruise Line’s bridge team, she helps operate a ship. But she also has opportunities to create memorable experiences for the people aboard. One particular interaction stands out.

Coyle was watching a show as a guest, technically off duty and out of uniform, when she noticed a young boy carrying a massive ship model. He told her he really wanted the captain to sign it before his vacation ended. Typically, that isn’t part of the experience, but Coyle saw the opportunity to make an exception. She approached his mother and explained that she could help.

“I’ll never forget the little boy’s face when he met the captain, shook his hand and saw him sign his model,” Coyle said.

For Coyle, the cruise industry has offered more than a career at sea. She said she feels supported in her workplace and valued according to the same professional standards as her peers. At Disney Cruise Line, she knows when she will be aboard and when she will be home. That schedule gives her time with friends, time to explore and time to grow.

Then she brings it back to the lesson she discovered throughout her undergraduate journey.

“My mental health and physical health are more important than making lots of money,” Coyle said. “I get to work for a company that helps me grow personally and professionally, offers vertical growth and provides a balanced quality of life.”

A career that once wasn’t even on her radar began with a ship that docked in Hawaii. It continued through conversations with Cal Poly Maritime Academy cadets, gained momentum through a friendship and became the opportunity of a lifetime because she stopped to catch up with a friend and talk to a recruiter.

An introduction. A conversation. A connection.

Sometimes, the simplest things are all it takes.