Walt Disney World has been my home away from home for as long as I can remember. My parents both met at the Magic Kingdom while working there, so Disney definitely runs in my blood. I remember waking up on a Saturday or Sunday and rushing to get my homework done so we could go spend the day somewhere at Disney, whether going on a safari through Africa in Animal Kingdom, wandering around the world at EPCOT, emersing ourselves in the movies at Hollywood Studios, or becoming the princess I always knew I was at Magic Kingdom. Disney World was, and still is, the one place I go when life gets hard because I can forget about my worries and my strife. I have even met some of my best and closest friends through our shared love for all things Disney. We even make impromptu trips out to Disney after class to escape from the stress that college brings. Sometimes, we bring along homework and textbooks, but most times those stay in our backpacks as we battle pirates or visit 999 happy haunts.

Now, I am lucky enough to work there, so I get to be the one who helps create the magic for everyone who comes to visit, whether it’s their first visit or hundredth. I love being able to help families experience the magic and work with some amazing cast members. At night, I get to watch Wishes, the nightly firework show, and see the faces of guests who are experiencing these magical fireworks for the first time. Some guests even get a bit teary-eyed even when it isn’t their first time watching them.

I get to watch as Peter Pan and Captain Hook have a daring sword fight aboard the Jolly Roger during the Main Street Electrical Parade. I watch as children come running to my glow cart to experience all the light up goodies I have on my cart, and help them find one that will light up their night, as well as help their parents see them as they run around the park. My job is much different from other jobs that most people my age have. I am not stuck behind a register for six to eight hours a day, selling some type of product. Sometimes, I do have to stand behind a register, but I’ll be dressed in my pirate best, helping young pirates find the best outfits and accessories for sailing the seven seas.

My favorite memory while working was there was this little girl, maybe around seven years old and she was wearing a pirate medallion. She had heard that this medallion could have been cursed, so she came up to me, with her family, to see if there was any way to help ensure she would no longer be cursed. I had asked her if she had gone to see Captain Jack Sparrow since he is an expert at cursed treasure, and she had, but he was not much help since he had to go off on his next adventure. So I took her over to some of our other pirate goodies and gave her a set of private keys. I told her that those keys would help ward off any curses the medallion might have placed on her. She was so happy to know that she would be protected that she gave me a huge hug. Her parents even pulled me aside before they left to go do more exploring to thank me for that. I told them it was no problem because I didn’t do anything special, but I know that I made that little girl’s vacation better. Experiences like that make me love my job so much because I am not doing anything out of the ordinary, but I am helping the guests who enter the Magic Kingdom have a magical experience in hopes that they return for more.