WildWater Cullman Blog

If you are a frequent visitor to WildWater Cullman, you may notice some new faces around the park. Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism (CPRST) Executive Director Nathan Anderson proudly announced that Cullman has been approved as a host city for the J-1 Visa Program through a partnership with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) making it the first city in north and central Alabama to receive the approval. Nearly 24 college students from around the world will be spending 12-weeks as interns at WildWater this summer. 

How did this happen? Well, at the 2022 World Waterpark Association conference, where WildWater received the prestigious Leading Edge Award, the idea of an international internship with college students emerged.

Said Anderson, “We discovered that other parks had achieved tremendous success in filling seasonal gaps in staffing with international college students looking for a cultural work experience through the CIEE organization. This is a common practice in the industry, especially in cases where there is a pressing staffing need within a short time frame.”

“Staffing the entire season has always been a challenge, especially after we expanded,” said WildWater Aquatics Director Dianne Evans. “Since high school students comprise the majority of our workforce, when they resign their positions in late July to return to school, it leaves us with a tremendous staffing shortage for the final five weeks of the season.”

WildWater may not be the only beneficiary of the exchange program. With the exposure, it could also lead to other great partnerships with local industry.  Wallace State Community College could also benefit as the international student travel program is introduced to local students for new opportunities they may have never considered.

Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs expressed his excitement for the program as well, saying, “This is an opportunity to showcase the warmth and hospitality of this community, affirming Cullman as an exceptional place to work and call home.” 

WildWater Cullman is excited about this global partnership which demonstrates our level of commitment to consistently deliver exceptional experiences to all our park visitors.