Anyway, I wanted to do a separate post on why the Disney College Program and the steps I took to get to the position I am in now.
First things first, in my last post I said I was a Disney enthusiast...wellllll a better term would probably be disney obsessed or disney freak if you really want to get technical. Most people would find me weird and most of them do, but they know that it's a part of me and they accept me for it. I have no shame in this passion of mine, in fact I find it unique and most people love to talk about it with me. I find that it makes them happier when they talk about it with me, so if I can do that then I don't mind being a little weird.
I decided to apply for a position in the Disney College Program when I decided I wanted to pursue a permanent career in the Disney company. For the longest time I wanted to be a doctor, (this was partially influenced by my binge watching of Grey's Anatomy...) but it wasn't until the summer before senior year of high school that I realized this may not be the career path for me. My dad had a meeting with Disney Imagineers because he was collaborating with them for a project. I was blessed with an opportunity to sit in on the meeting and that's when everything changed. It was by far the coolest experience and I knew I wanted to do this with my life. So I began searching majors that would stand out but also be appealing to me and that's when I found Industrial Engineering. We basically improve processes and find the most efficient way to do something. We tend to deal with more of the business side of engineering.
Now, that I have the major I needed a way to get my foot in the door with the company, hence the Disney College Program. I began the application process on August 24,2014 by filling out an application. That same night I received an email to do a web-based interview. I decided to do the WBI a different day so I could be relaxed and well prepared. I did the WBI on August 26 and the second I hit the submit button to the last question I got an invitation to do a phone interview. I scheduled the phone interview for September 2 at 10pm eastern time. On September 2, 2014, I sat on my bed at 8:45pm waiting for them to call (they can call anywhere between 15 before your scheduled time or 15 minutes after). At 9:02pm my interviewer called me and we talked for about 23 minutes. I felt super relaxed and relieved that it was over. Now the waiting began....
.....5 weeks later....
On October 10, 2014, I woke up and checked my phone as usual and I had 2 emails. Before I even opened my email app I knew one would be yahoo news and I figured the other would just be from my college. To my surprise I saw two things in the other email: 1.) wdw.college.recruiting 2.) Congratulations. I hadn't even opened the email before I popped out of bed. I share a room with 2 other roommates and only one of them was in there at the time. Her name is Jeannie. She was still in bed but slowly waking up when I popped up (poor thing didn't know what was coming). I ran over to her bed and shoved my phone into her face and squealed "Look!!". I was really excited and that's an understatement. I finally read the email and later found out I would be working in Full Service Food and Beverage (I have 3 years in the restaurant industry). I proceeded to jump around the room like a 5 year old squealing, "I'm moving to disney world, I'm moving to disney world!" By far the best morning of my life. It was even better than Christmas morning as a child.
So now a month and a few days later, I have my dates selected, my roommates picked, and my classes scheduled. I was accepted for the Spring 2015 program so my dates are January 12, 2015-May 29, 2015. I have 5 other roommates plus myself. They are Amy, Maegan, Mollie, Anne, and Michele. We are hoping to live in Patterson Court, which is one of the four apartment complexes provided by Disney. A few weeks ago, I signed up for my classes. Disney offers a few courses in different areas and certain ones transfer over to LSU. I decided to take a corporate analysis class, which goes into depth of the Walt Disney company, and will transfer over as a management class. I'm also taking a professional development studies course on engineering, where we'll get the chance to network with imagineers and take tours behind the scenes. I'm hoping it will be a great networking opportunity and a chance to learn more about what I want to do with my life.
So, that's about where I am at the moment. I have 54 days till move in and could not be more excited. I just have to get through this semester and then I'll be on my way to the happiest place on earth! I hope you enjoyed this post...I'm still trying to get the hang of all of this.
