On August 16th, 2016, I had heard that the applications for the Spring/Spring Advantage 2017 Disney College Program had opened up. They had actually gone live the night before, on August 15th, but I was unaware of that as I was wrapping up a summer contract with a theatre I was working at over the summer.
The morning of the 16th, I decided to apply to the college program, and the actual process only took a few minutes to complete. A mere few minutes after applying, I received an email saying they wanted me to continue on in the process by completing a Web Based Interview. Upon completing the WBI, which contained personality questions, I immediately received notification that I had passed that section of the application process and I was wanted to schedule a phone interview! Sometimes, people don't make it past the WBI section of the application process, and to be able to say that I made it past that part was in itself an accomplishment.
Through multiple scheduling mishaps, and class changes I had to reschedule my interview two times before finally scheduling it for Monday, September 12th at 9:30pm. The days leading up to the interview felt like an eternity - honestly! I prepped and prepped and read and read as much as I could, you know? I figured out my top 4 roles and figured out how qualified I was for each of those, and I had friends ask me questions and I felt thoroughly prepared. The night of the interview, I showered and got dressed and prepped myself by wearing my Minnie Ears during the interview. The weekend leading up to the interview, a friend and I actually went to the Disney Store and I bought a mini Eeyore - because my Mom had always thought that she embodied Eeyore the most, and to have Eeyore sitting on my desk during the entirety of the phone interview provided me with so much comfort.
And so the PI came and went, lasting roughly 22 minutes. I felt confident in my responses, and immediately the anticipation of what would happen next set in. The days that followed felt like an eternity - you know? I checked my dashboard multiple times, hoping something would happen, but nothing ever did. Still in progress, nothing received, no word of when the big wave would hit.
And then Thursday happened - the Disney Internships Program was hosting a twitter Q&A the afternoon of the 15th, and already, a few people had been notified of their acceptance. And the panic set in. Then came Friday morning, and the "big wave" began. They began alphabetically, going through As, Bs and then Cs...and then I saw the first person with a C name and the panic set in. I went onto my email casually checking for an email from a professor when I looked over and saw the "disney.recruiting" address and panicked. And then I saw the "congratulations!" and started freaking out...
I started bawling my eyes out - I couldn't believe it! The thing I've wanted MOST since I began college is finally happening. My dreams are coming true, and I owe it all to Walt Disney himself, my Mom for constantly telling me to pursue my dreams, and those around me who encouraged me to go for it.
I am so excited to announce that my role is attractions, and I am spring advantage! Meaning I'll be living, playing, working and creating magic at the most magical place on earth for the next seven months beginning on January 23rd, with my "departure" date being August 3rd - with hopes to extend!!! I am so so so so excited to see where this journey will take me, and I can't wait to share it with all of you.
To everyone who's been accepted for S/SA 2017 - can't wait to meet all of you, and I am so excited to be able to create magic and memories with you all. It's been a hell of a journey so far, and it can only go up from here!
What better way to end this with a quote from the man who started it all, Walt Disney himself...
"You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality."
Walt Disney
