Attractions: "like the best role there is!"

As of today, there are only 80 days until I check into the program that will be my life for a few months. My program is from January 13 (the day after my birthday!) through May 16, 2014! So it is really only 79 days and some hours at this point!

All that I know about my role at this point is that I'll be working in Attractions. I know that what probably comes to people's minds when I say "attractions" is me asking people how many in their party, putting them in rows and seats, and pushing a giant green button to "go!" I'm sure that that doesn't sound like an exciting role or even a good way to spend my semester to some, but I choose to look at it a different way!

In the words of my sister, Hayley, when she found out I'd be in attractions, "that's like the best role there is!"

Attractions is one of the more popular roles from what I've read about the program. It was actually my #2 most wanted role, so I feel blessed to have been offered it! Working in attractions is something I look forward to and know will help me in the long run. Just think of the skills you gain from working with thousands of tourists and park guests every day! Plus, just imagine how many accents I'll encounter! I'll be able to better perfect my accents if I ever need to show them off in a round of the accent game! (Accents, accents, accents! I just can't stop saying it!)

I'm sure that I'll have fun in whatever attraction I’m assigned. If you're familiar with Walt Disney World, I will say that I'm hoping to not get It's A Small World or The Hall of Presidents (yes, that is an attraction!)

I’m knocking on wood, or actually, the aluminum casing of my laptop, that I didn’t just set myself up for that one! Watch it happen, seriously… check back in like 90 days and see that I’m working one of those two! :)

If I do get one of those though, you can bet your bottom-dollar that I'll embrace that beautifully catchy and frankly annoying song, or brush up on my history knowledge and enjoy the heck out of it!

Continue Reading...

Here we goooo!

I’ve checked the mail everyday waiting for a very special purple envelope to arrive! Well, it is here! It came 2 days ago, and I couldn’t be more excited about the piece of card-stock paper that was inside!

I felt like Charlie opening the candy wrapper to find the golden ticket! If it was socially acceptable for me to run down the street singing, “I’ve got a PURPLE ticket!” I would. What the heck, I may actually!

The piece of card-stock paper was my official postcard from Disney, which makes my acceptance all that more real! I was officially accepted into the Spring 2014 Disney College Program on Thursday, September 26, and the last few weeks have been spent picking my jaw up off the floor, and basking in my own excitement!

The program is something I’ve known about and wanted to do ever since middle school, but being that it is the Disney College Program, I had some years of waiting to do!

After the awkward middle school years, and 4 years of high school, which I loved, I became a college student in fall of 2012. I was finally able to apply! I applied in February of 2013 in hopes of participating in the fall program. After not getting very far in the application process, I was pretty disappointed but not discouraged about trying again!

After completing my freshman year, I knew that I didn’t want to continue at the school I was at, but I wasn’t sure (and am still not sure) where I wanted to transfer. So, I made the decision to come back home and go to a community college for the semester to finish up my general education courses, and hopefully figure out what I wanted to do. I received some negative feedback about the fact that I was going to move back home and attend a community college, but I accepted that. I knew that I would apply again for Disney when applications were released for the spring program, and that maybe this time it would be my time!

Applications were released on September 5. I finished submitting my application and successfully passed my web-based interview later the same day. You find out whether you will move on after the web-based interview or not immediately after finishing it. Nerve-wracking, right? I moved past that step and then scheduled my phone interview!

The phone interview took place on Friday, September 13. I awkwardly sat at the dining room table in an empty house with my notes and talking points in front of me. The call lasted about 27 minutes, and I honestly couldn’t tell how it went based on the way the recruiter spoke. Let the waiting game begin!

They tell you that you’ll hear back in about 2-3 weeks. Luckily for me, I found out 1 day short of what would have been the 2-week mark! I was accepted!

What am I going to do next?

I’M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

(Cue the confetti)

Continue Reading...