2 years ago today, I was watching the Winter Olympics while waiting for my face mask to dry before I would hop in the shower. As I was about to get ready for the night, I saw a notification from Gmail with the subject line saying "Congratulations" from The Disney College Program. I screamed, ran out of my bathroom and opened the email in front of my roommates. My longest dream came true in that email, I was accepted into the Disney College Program for the Fall of 2018.
Exactly 6 months later, I said goodbye to my parents at the Pittsburgh Airport and boarded my flight to Orlando. In a weird way, I was so excited, but very emotional. I cried when I hugged my mom and when the plane took off, but as soon as that plane landed, I was full of excitement for the journey that was about to take place.
I've told this story hundreds of times, and quite honestly, it's my favorite to tell. Growing up everyone knew I loved Disney and that I have always wanted to work for them. Going into my college program (CP), I was just excited to get to spend everyday in Disney World. If I was bored, I could go to Magic Kingdom. Or if I just wanted to watch a firework show one night, I could just hop on a bus and go. But there was so much more to this experience that I gained that I was never expecting to impact me as largely as it did, even over a year later.
Work Ethic
I worked at the worlds busiest restaurant, and I mean the WHOLE world, not just Disney
World. I spent my CP days at Cosmic Rays Star Light Cafe. 1/3 of the park ate here daily as we served all the classic comfort foods from chicken nuggets, to burgers, to mac and cheese. I was trained in dining room and cash and a lot of the things I did were repetitive and got old kind of quick. My hours were also very late with some of my shifts not ending until 2:30 in the morning, and I am not a night owl, so this took A LOT of adjusting for me. People question me all the time why I decided to take a semester off of school to scrub trash cans and serve burgers for $10 an hour. Most of the time I just laugh and say I would do anything to work in Disney (which is true) but honestly the lessons I learned and the work ethic I gained is something that I will be able to carry with me into my future as a journalist. Cosmics was busy and unpredictable, just like the field of news. I learned the true value of good customer service, treating all people with kindness and during busy hours to always be alert and ready to work. But the most important lesson is to value your co-workers. At times, work felt like I was just hanging out with my pals, and they made it the environment enjoyable, even on the worst days. And don't get me wrong, I had some rough days, it wasn't all pixie dust. So that leads me into my next gain...
Friendships and Strong Co-worker Bonds.
I knew I was going to make friends during my CP, but I never in a million years expected to make the bonds that I did while I was there. I talked about my friend Ashley in my Long Distance post. Her and I clicked immediately during training and became my favorite pal and person to spend time with. I didn't have my car in Orlando so Ashley would often drive me home from work. We would scream and vent about our days at work, jam out to One Direction, often stop for 4 for 4's and wake up at 8 am the next day to go to a park, but not before we would stop for coffee. Ashley was my rock and I am still the luckiest person to be her friend. But the relationships don't stop there. It's really hard for me to describe just how important my CP co-workers were to me. They are honestly the only reason I didn't throw in the towel and self-term at one point. I could sit here and tell you why each and every person I worked with meant so much to me, but we would be here all day. But the biggest take-a-way was the fun environment that was created at work. While Cosmics was busy all the time I truly feel like we made the best of it. But getting to hang out away from work and in the parks was obviously way more fun. I made bonds and friendships from people all over the world that I am still really close to. When I used to think of the happiness that came from disney, I would think of visiting and the vacations associated with it. Now when I think of that happiness I think of all those really great bonds that I made while there.
Being away from family
This one is very specific, but I know with my future career path, being away from family is something that is going to be very common. I only live about an hour away from school, so even though im busy, its not too hard to find a night to drive home if I want to be with my family. Being in Florida was a little harder. There were a good handful of days where I just wanted to be with my family, especially when things were rough and around the holidays. I was fortunate enough to have my parents and brother visit during thanksgiving, and while our thanksgiving dinner was a little untraditional, all that mattered was that I was with my family. Christmas was little harder. My parents and grandparents came into town a few days after the holiday, so I thought I would be totally okay during the holidays knowing I'd see them just a few days later. During the week of Christmas I was scheduled 55 hours and I was forced extended on Christmas eve and Christmas day. I was TIRED with averaging 4 hours of sleep and 12 hour shifts. And to top it all off, shortly after had a major sinus infection that put me in bed for a day. I also thought it was a good idea to FaceTime my mom on Christmas eve during my break but just ended up crying the whole time. It was really hard for me, but as harsh as it sounds, it is something I needed to learn and go through. My aunt kept reminding me that its only one dinner, and she was right. It doesn't matter if you celebrate christmas on December 25th or April 7th, all that matters is getting to be with those who you love. And any day is a holiday if you're with the right people.
So yes, I took a semester off of school to take orders and sweep floors. But that semester in Disney taught me more and brought me more than any semester in school ever could.
Comentarios