I have Disney to thank for my best friendships, and no that doesn’t surprise me.

Just last year, I had the opportunity to work for The Walt Disney Company through the Disney College Program in Orlando, Florida. In preparation, I spent hours upon hours sitting in front of my laptop clicking on video after video documenting participants' program experiences.

From free park entrance to all 6 parks, to exclusive cast member events, my heart was set on getting the most out of my Disney experience. However, I didn’t realize just how unprepared I was to welcome new friends and realize the major impact they’d have on my life and personal well-being.

No words come close to explaining the feeling of anxiety and dread I felt on my first day. The nerves I felt seeped down to the tips of my fingers as I struggled to put on my costume and worried whether or not I’d be fired on my first day for wearing the wrong colored socks. To my joy, I survived the costuming building and continued onwards.

The day was a whirlwind. Having names of different positions and all the parks restroom locations thrown at me as I tried to sort through the information was enough to make me wonder how I’d survive the forthcoming months. However overwhelmed I felt during the training process, I managed to survive and look forward to working with my dream company. And I had a lot to look forward to.

Working at a Disney park is overwhelming. The spring and summer heat drowns you in Florida’s sticky humidity and makes everybody around you cranky. You have your good days, making a little magic for guests around you, and you have your bad days, where everything you seem to do is wrong and the impending feeling of doom comes reeling in. That’s when you need a pick me up.

I felt I was always lacking in the friend department. I lacked the “deep” friendships everybody always seemed to talk about. Those friendships where you’re supposed to feel completely comfortable being yourself were missing from my life. High school gave me friends I adored but losing the connection a few months after graduation wasn’t a surprise to me. Even freshman year of college, friend central wasn’t giving me what I always felt was missing. I was missing the inside jokes I wanted to care about. I was missing friendships with people who knew what I wanted to do before I knew it.

That's when The Disney College Program swooped in and served me what I’d been longing for on a silver platter.

That's where I met them. My friends. My best friends. My partners in crime. Those friends you know will last you a lifetime and a half. Those friends who know they’ll be your future bridesmaids without you having to ask. Those friends who know what drinks get you drunk the fastest and what food to order you when you miss the waiter cause you’re late to your weekly “family dinners.”

I got the inside jokes and the late night drives through Orlando. I got the expensive checks after a much needed night out. I got the movie dates and the Disney park dates. I got the laughs and the smiles.

Those friendships have a funny way of sneaking into your life. Sure, I’d wished to have made friendships during my time in Orlando, but I hadn’t realized how impactful those friendships were going to be, and underestimated how important those bonds were. They helped me grow. As we maneuvered ourselves through the maze that is Disney, we shared our struggles and highs.

They came to hold a spot in my heart. They laughed shamelessly whenever I embarrassed myself in front of the guy I liked. They made me strong when the world felt like it was crushing in on me. They made fun of me and I made fun of them. They trash talked my favorite shows, I trash talked their favorite books. We’d talk each other into ordering UBER eats for the second time that week.

They became family. Their importance in my life became indescribable. They were my cure for when I felt lonely and my permanent partner in my crimes. They listened when I ranted and whined. They knew my flaws and my weaknesses, my insecurities and my strengths.

As 2017 came to a close, I knew the impending goodbyes were slipping closer and closer. Our last hugs and dinner dates were coming too swift, leaving you wondering why time was moving too quickly. They left me with memories that made my life joyous and exciting. 2017 was an unbelievable year filled with unimaginable experiences. My best friends welcomed themselves into my life and made me the happiest person in the happiest place on Earth.