ORLANDO, Fla. – Disney World announced last month it would restart its college program in June, and now, the first wave of participants has arrived.

​On Tuesday, Disney welcomed students who will be participating in the program.

Pictures were shared on the Walt Disney World Cast and Community Facebook page.

“What a joyous day for all our future Cast Members as they begin this new adventure filled with hope, inspiration, and magic,” read the post. “We are so excited to welcome them into our Cast family as they get settled and begin their training this week.

Disney World president Jeff Vahle was on hand to welcome students.

“It was energizing to meet with some of these exceptional students and hear their excitement for starting their own Disney journey,” Vahle said in an Instagram post. “So many of our leaders began their careers on the College Program, and I’m proud to see it continue to develop even more Cast for the future.”

This wave of participants will be the first to stay at the new Flamingo Crossings Village housing complex, located just west of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The Disney College Program, which allows college students to work in a variety of roles across Disney World (and in some cases earn college credit), was suspended in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May, Disney began contacting students whose program was disrupted by the suspension, inviting them to reapply.

With the relaunch of the program, Disney said it would be implementing health and safety protocols for participants, including contactless move-in protocols and face mask requirements in common areas.

In recent weeks, Disney has been lifting many of the pandemic measures that were implemented last year, including ending mandatory temperature checks. On Tuesday, face masks became optional for fully vaccinated visitors in most areas of the resort.