Thousands of employees have walked through the gates of Seaworld over the last six decades.
But only one can say she's been here since the very beginning. And that's Charline Manzano, who goes by Charli.
She's been the friendly receptionist greeting employees at the administration building.
But her SeaWorld story started long before that. She began working there 62 years ago, a week before the park officially opened.
And when she wants to take a trip down memory lane, all she has to do is open one of the many binders filled with photographs from her life at the park, something she finds herself doing often.
Charli started her journey at Seaworld at 28 as a server at the Hawaiian Punch Village, one of SeaWorld's original attractions.
“Hawaiian Punch was basically my second home,” Charli says.
For 13 years, she welcomed guests there, always wearing a smile and a fresh hibiscus flower in her hair.
“That was my signature,” Charli says.
A signature look that's never gone away. She still wears a flower on her hair every day to work.
Over the years, Charli’s career took her all across the park. She went from food service, to becoming a performing with dolphins in the lagoon show.
Eventually, she found her spot behind the front desk.
“I had to get out of food!” Charli says with a grin.
This week, she celebrated her 90th birthday. And according to her, retirement can wait a little longer.
“I might work for two more years because that’s when SeaWorld will be 64,” Charli says, showing her commitment to the place she's called her second home for the last 6 decades.
The attractions at Seaworld may look different after 62 years, the crowds may be bigger, and the park may have changed.
But her smile and the flower in her hair, remain a constant.
