The Mickey Mouse Club

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing… That it was all started by a mouse.” –Walt Disney

Whatever was to happen during my program, I did NOT want to work with Mickey Mouse. Although it would have been a cool experience to work with the boss, I never wanted to have that kind of relationship with the Mouse. I always wanted to visit him as a Guest, and I always wanted it to be the most magical experience imaginable. Mickey means WAY too much to me to allow it not to be an unforgettable experience each time I saw him, which is what I was afraid would happen if I worked with him frequently.

I am pleased to announce that once again, the Lord has shown that he knows what’s best for me. When I was scheduled to train to work with Mickey, I admit that I was a little upset. I was honored to have the opportunity that so many wish for, but I was rather disappointed because Mickey’s rehearsal room was the one place that I wished I wouldn’t ever work at. I never would have expected the change of heart that took place in the days that followed.

On my first day of training, we went around the room and each said the thing that we love the most about Mickey Mouse. What do I love most about this incredible character? Gosh, where do I even begin? Besides being timeless, optimistic, and relatable, I love it when he makes mistakes. I love this because not only does he laugh them off, but also because he always finds a way to solve any problem that he encounters or creates. He is passionate, loyal, and determined to cheer up his pals, no matter their circumstances. Even when Donald is being, well, Donald. Mickey is real. Mickey is humble and dependable. He is energetic, thoughtful, funny, and most importantly: imperfect. This is what has made him one of the most recognizable characters of all time.

But you see, Mickey means a lot more to me than just all that he is. Mickey is Walt, and Walt is Mickey. Mickey means legacy and hope, and dreams that come true. Watching Mickey come to life through the magic of Disney parks is like interacting with Walt himself. Mickey means family, memories, and laughter. Interacting with Mickey feels like being with family. He is always welcoming, always forgiving, and always loving. Most importantly,

Mickey means home.

As I went through my training, I kept having flashbacks of watching Mickey Mouse cartoons with my family, growing up. Never have I felt such an emotional connection with and attachment to Walt Disney World until I stood in the room with the Mouse, reflecting on his prominent legacy and influence in my life and watching him bring unbelievably magical moments to his many visitors.

I am beyond fortunate to have witnessed the things that I have witnessed in the last two weeks. I have had an absolute change of heart. Training to work with Mickey was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had—DEFINITELY the highlight of my DCP thus far.

I never wanted my training to end, but on our last day we went around the room once again, this time sharing our favorite moment that we had witnessed while spending time with Mickey over the course of our training. Most of us were sobbing by the end, sharing such incredibly beautiful moments that we had assisted in bringing to Guests, in awe of every unbelievable moment that we had witnessed. I was bawling as I shared simple moments of seeing children amazed at meeting their favorite celebrity from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, simply giving him the biggest hug ever or laughing and smiling. Or even adults who were excited just to make small talk with Mickey! My favorite moment though was probably a girl around my age who started crying when Mickey Mouse sang “Happy Birthday” to her. It’s incredible how much love people have for Walt’s Mouse.

A PhotoPass photographer shared this touching story with the group, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room: A three-year-old that had recently lost her sight came to visit Mickey Mouse in his rehearsal room in Town Square Theater. She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and is very familiar with the star of the show. When she heard the voice that she loves so much, the widest of grins spread across her face. She stretched out her hands, gently feeling Mickey’s ears and nose, unable to see the face of he who means so much to her, but amazed by the interaction that she was able to have with him. This story is why the Walt Disney Company exists and has been so successful to this day. Multiple experiences that are equally as beautiful as this one occur every single day here at Walt Disney World.

I am so humbled to have the opportunity to work with Mickey. I was in only the 25^th group ever to be trained to work with Mickey in his magic rehearsal room, which means that there are under 1,000 people in existence that do what I do. What an incredible opportunity. I am so grateful that the Lord allowed me to have the experience of working for this beautiful company. I now understand that working with Mickey is actually the best thing that ever could have happened to me during my College Program, not only because of all that I have learned and witnessed, but also for the reputation building and networking opportunities it has given me. How many times does it take for me to learn to accept God’s will from the start and understand that He knows what he’s doing??

Once again, I am amazed at how quickly I bonded with those in my training group. Now that training is over, my heart feels heavy. It makes me think of when I said goodbye to my Productions family in high school, or each of the casts I have worked with in various shows. How can I feel that close to people after only two weeks (technically five days) of working with them?

I have recently decided that once I return to the Walt Disney Company (which I sincerely plan on doing after I graduate), I would absolutely LOVE to be on a training team. After all, teaching in the entertainment industry is what I want to do. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be training the next generation of Character Attendants!

Making Memories

“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” –Walt Disney

Disney Cast Members have touched my life countless times, sometimes with an elaborate gesture or magical moment, but most often with a simple smile or kind word. There is something different about Disney Cast Members and the way that they interact with others. Thus said, the amount of experiences that I have had already in my time here are enough to fill novels.

My first post-Core-Plus working day was on Friday, February 6 with none other than the famed queen and princess of Arandelle. Yes, folks, Elsa and Anna from Disney’s Frozen. I was thrilled! This was a perfect way for me to start my College Program because Elsa has had such significance in my life over the past year and a half. She holds a very special place in my heart.

Although intimidated at first, I really enjoyed myself once I got the hang of my role. My favorite thing about my job is definitely storytelling. This is a talent that I have especially developed through my experience in theatre and improvisation and in my experience working with children over the past three years.

It’s fascinating to me to be able to see how I’m getting to use the talents and skills that I’ve been developing over the past few years in my job here. Everything truly does happen for a reason. We often don’t understand why the Lord leads us down a certain path, and sometimes it takes a very long time to find out why, if ever in this life. I always thought I would head down one path in my life. I had everything planned out, and everything up to that point in my life had told me that that direction was where I needed to go. But all because of a few trials in my senior year of high school, my personal Yellow Brick Road has branched out in so many different directions, and I long to explore all of them! My life is nothing like what I thought it would be at this point, and in the best way imaginable! Our point of view is so very limited in mortality. Only our Father in Heaven can see the full “paint by numbers” design, and the masterpiece that it will become if we trust and follow Him and his plan for us. What may begin as a trial may often turn out to be a blessing when you look back on it with a better understanding and an open mind.

I can also clearly see how this role is helping me to strengthen several of my weaknesses. It is clear to me that the Lord knows me personally. He knows my strengths and weaknesses, and the best ways for me to personally grow and develop. I have prayed for so long for help to overcome these weaknesses that I have, frustrated that I was not having much luck overcoming them on my own. The Lord always answers prayers on His own timetable if we have faith in Him. Sometimes it requires a lot of patience, but the answers will come in time.

I have always been, for lack of a better word, a pushover. I have a very hard time standing up for myself or voicing my opinions. It is nearly impossible for me to say no to anyone because I am afraid of hurting him or her. Hurting others’ feelings is one of my very worst fears. I am also very indecisive and hate asking for help. I am extremely forgetful, easily overwhelmed and distracted and do not multitask or balance various aspects of my life very well at all. To make matters worse, although optimistic about everything around me, I am extremely critical of myself. Being a Character Attendant is probably the best thing that could ever happen to help me to overcome these weaknesses and help me prepare to be a wife and mother.

I’ve found that the best remedy for my forgetfulness is simply to FOCUS. I have realized that the prime reason for my forgetful mind is that I get distracted very easily. I’ve found that planning ahead definitely helps, as well as taking care of things the moment that I think about them (NOT PROCRASTINATING) rather than giving myself a “better” option later (the reason for my frequent 2 AM bedtime, which causes a lack of sleep, which heightens my forgetfulness. The cycle repeats). The largest reason for my procrastination is because I hate starting something when I can’t finish it. The antidote: time management. If I plan time in advance to do something, I will neither forget to do it nor postpone doing it for when I have more time. As for balance, I’ve started to get the hang of finding balance between various tasks at work, so now I need to work on balancing work with my personal life. The first step to achieving this balance is, once again, through time management. I usually have two days off per week, so I’ve decided to generally use one to play in the parks and one to rest, run errands, and complete my personal tasks.

Being a Character Attendant is teaching me to be patient with and forgiving of myself when I make mistakes (and I make many of them). It’s very easy for me to forgive others, but forgiving myself is another story. I have had to teach myself several times in my time here that it is okay to make mistakes as long as I learn from them. Mistakes are inevitable, especially since I am just starting out. My role is also helping me to find my voice and to standing my ground. There have been several times that I have had to tell unhappy Guests no. Fortunately if I give them another option such as recommending another character or a time that my character will return, they usually comply fairly easily. I’ve found that distracting a human being from the problem creates more positive results and a greater likelihood of compliance. Another example: when kids were hanging on the stanchion ropes during my shift with Anna and Elsa, I tried to find creative ways to lure their attention elsewhere and give them something better to do to avoid making them feel embarrassed about being asked to stop. After asking them as politely as possible to stop, I’d say “Hey! I know something way more fun than swinging on ropes.” We’d then play games together, such as jumping, spinning, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," etc. They loved it when I would tap the wrong part of my body at different parts of the song, such as touching my ears while singing, “nose.” Thus, I would turn the negative experience of being ‘chastised’ for doing what they weren’t supposed to into a positive experience that allowed me to not only find another way to entertain the children in line, but I earned their trust and friendship by making them laugh as well as helped to create a fun memory for the family.

While working with Tinker Bell in the Town Square Theater, I played a game of peek-a-boo around a giant Mickey Mouse face card (it was actually a regular-sized playing card, but y’know, we shrunk because of all the Pixie Dust!), making a different funny face for a little girl each time I came up. She absolutely loved it and laughed hysterically each time that I popped up! I noticed that her mom began to take photos. Do you know what this means??

I am now an immortal part of this family’s Disney vacation memories.

I have my own little “Book of Immortal Disney Cast Members.” It’s a collection of photos of various CMs that have created magical moments or unforgettable memories in my life. To think that I could now be in the photo collections of others—an immortal part of their Disney experience! Can you believe it??

It is the most incredible and empowering feeling, knowing that I am the one that is helping to make such positive and magical memories for Guests now. Although at times I do encounter experiences that are not so positive, the amount of good here in the parks completely outweighs the bad and makes everything more than worth it. Especially when Guests allow or invite me to be a part of their memory.

On February 10, I worked at Pete’s Silly Sideshow in Storybook Circus at the Magic Kingdom, an extension of Walt Disney World’s newest and biggest expansion in years: New Fantasyland. The day started out pretty rough, as I had had quite a few negative experiences within my first three hours of working. However, after a surprise performance review and a couple of suggestions that I immediately fixed (thanks to my experience receiving direction from theatre), my reviewer had nothing but good to say about me! She showered me with praise and thanks (perhaps she hasn’t had many people act upon her direction so quickly?), and said that she is so glad that I am a part of the team. My positivity and energy was restored! This is where I belong, and I was elated that my reviewer could recognize that.

With newfound hope, I continued to my next rotation. I was now at the front of the tent to direct Guests inside to visit with either Daisy and Minnie or Donald and Goofy. A short time had passed when a woman wearing a Make-A-Wish button approached me. She asked me about the location when I, obeying what I had learned in training, took the woman and her family through the exit to meet with our friends: Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Minnie Mouse. On the way, I figured I would make this as least awkward as possible and talk to them. I asked them their names (the wish maker’s name is Christopher) and where they were from, and talked to them about some of my favorite things in the park. Before we knew it, we were inside the tent. I took them to see Donald and Goofy first. Donald was being extra flirtatious and fun with me that day for some reason, and when I brought the family from Goofy to Donald, Donald first grabbed me and started dancing with me. I laughed my head off as I played along, telling the family that Donald had agreed to be my Valentine earlier that morning. Donald spun me around, and I said, “Donald, you forgot to dip me!” After we ended with an extravagant dip, Donald met with the Make-a-Wish family. As we left, Donald pulled me in to give me a huge kiss on the cheek, and I walked away, laughing and wiping my face, telling the family that I had duck slobber on me. They found this very amusing. Daisy and Minnie were adorable with the family as well, and Daisy took a photo with Christopher as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

As I guided the family to the exit, Christopher’s father asked to take a photo with me. Christopher wanted to be in the photo, too! I was SO touched. What had I done that made them want to remember ME? I was just doing my job and being me, I thought… Had I really made a difference to them? After posing for the photo, I asked if I could give Christopher a kiss on the cheek like Daisy did. After getting permission from Christopher and his parents, I did so, and they took another photo. They thanked me unceasingly, and I nearly cried. I asked for a group hug, and I sent them on their way. This family didn’t understand what they had just done for me. They had allowed me to be a part of this special family memory.

After two CMs came through as Guests and told me that Walt would be proud, I was over the moon. What started out as not a very good day turned out to be unbelievably wonderful.

My favorite location to work so far is with Tinker Bell in Town Square Theater on Main Street. The venue is simply magical, Tink is so much fun, and even when bad things happen or I make a ton of mistakes, I still have a very pleasant experience overall! I have had many magical experiences throughout my life because of her, and she means more than ever to me now that I’ve gotten to work with her so much!

On February 15, after working at Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort, I was given a special Cast Member recognition card for my hard work from one of the servers. That night had been unusually crazy, which was unfortunate, since it was my first dining shift ever (and the other attendant’s first as well). It was extremely stressful. The captain, the other attendant and I had to pull characters out of rotation constantly to meet with families that had missed them and had been at the restaurant for an hour and a half. We ended up leaving 15 minutes late due to several families that hadn’t seen certain characters yet. The server that recognized my work was a woman named Jessica, whom I had made very brief conversation with earlier in the night. She recognized me for “going above and beyond.” I was absolutely flattered! I wished that I had been able to express my sincere thanks to her, because I didn’t know what the card was when she handed it to me. I couldn’t find her at the end of the night to thank her, so I asked some of the kitchen staff if they would thank her for me. This card is GREAT because once I give it to management it will show up on my Disney record for when I apply for other jobs or internships and things!!

This is just the start of my adventure. I can’t WAIT for the experiences that lie ahead!

And to think that it all started with a mouse and a dream!

The Dream Begins Part 2: Earning My Ears

"If you can dream it, you can do it." -Walt Disney

These past two weeks have been PACKED with emotions. Fear, wonder, excitement, embarrassment and stress to name a few, but mostly thankfulness and awe. The name Walter Elias Disney means so much more to me now than ever before. I have always felt as if Walt was my grandfather, but now, along with those feelings, I feel such a greater sense of respect and admiration.

The evening before I was to become an official Disney Cast Member, I was resort hopping with my roommates, about to enjoy a delectable Dole Whip from Disney’s Polynesian Resort, when I received a phone call from Casting. I was told not to attend my Traditions class (basically Disney CM orientation) because my background check had not been completed yet. As optimistic as I tried to be, I was a little bummed because now I had no idea when I would be called to attend another session of Traditions and thus was unable to plan a schedule to visit the parks with my roommates.

The next day, I made a trip to Wal-Mart. I packed my bag with a change of clothes, just in case I got called in for Traditions. However, it wasn’t very smart of me to go to Wal-Mart at all, because as soon as I began shopping, Disney called. I needed to board the bus for Traditions in an hour. I immediately ran back to the Wal-mart bus stop, where a kind CP helped me change into my dress without having to go into the bathroom and risk missing the only bus that could possibly get me where I needed to be on time.

The CP bus system (Transtar) isn’t exactly the fastest way of traveling. There are so many stops and so many people getting on and off at every stop, not to mention that every time one of the buses gets to the Vista Way apartment complex, the bus waits for about 15 minutes before continuing on its way. It takes about an hour to get anywhere you need to go. A brief trip to Wal-Mart takes at least three hours. I have never really minded, because I just take the time to relax and listen to music. BUT on this particular day I had no time to waste!! I had an hour until I HAD to catch the bus for Traditions, otherwise I’d miss it!! That would NOT be a good way to start my program…

I said a thousand prayers as I sat there on the bus. My anxiety heightened with every minute that we fell behind schedule. Suddenly, I had an epiphany: I had said a prayer. I knew that God could get me there on time. I realized that my fear and worry showed a lack of faith. I took a deep breath, and put my trust completely in Him. I knew it would work out. I knew I would get to Traditions in time. It was at that moment that the same girl that had helped me change into my dress (I believe her name was Jaycee) recommended a shortcut to me. The Wal-Mart bus also makes a stop at a market called Publix, which is apparently only about a 10-15 minute walk from the Chatham Square bus stop (where I needed to catch my Traditions bus). She got off at Publix with me and showed me the way. After she had walked with me to a certain point, she turned to me and said, “It’s straight ahead now. Go.”

Thanking her unceasingly, I ran. The shortcut had cut off about half an hour from my trip, and I caught the bus with plenty of time to spare. My incredible roommate Allison brought a change of shoes and my makeup to me at the bus stop, because for whatever reason, I had brought a dress to Wal-mart just in case, but had failed to bring shoes and didn’t think to actually get ready for the day, you know, just in case. Oh well. Bus rides are for doing makeup, I guess.

The experience was an incredible testimony builder for me. I wondered how many times in my life had I still worried after praying to my Father in Heaven. I learned that if we show Heavenly Father our faith, astonishing things can happen. I was now on a bus headed for Disney University. I was on my way to becoming a Disney Cast Member, something I had dreamed of for my entire life but never actually imagined could happen.

Traditions was absolutely incredible. I was an emotional wreck the entire time. Pretty sure I was the only one there that was crying as much as I was. Traditions makes you feel SO wonderful about being a Cast Member, and makes you feel so special for having been chosen to be a part of Walt Disney’s incredible legacy. There seriously aren’t enough words to describe how I felt, and how I still feel about being here. Incredible is the strongest word I can come up with. Fascinating, astonishing, wonderful, unbelievable, no word compares to how I feel about Walt Disney and his legacy! I still can’t believe that I was selected to have a hand in continuing Walt’s dream, and in making dreams come true for millions of others.

I am now an official Disney Cast Member.

The weirdest feeling is seeing all of the doors in the parks and resorts marked “Cast Members Only,” and knowing that I can go beyond them. I still feel a little sense of guilt, as if I’m somewhere that I’m not supposed to be, just because I’ve grown up staring at those doors and wondering what lies behind them.

The next two weeks consisted of orientations, training, training, and more training. Sorry everyone, Entertainment is definitely the best department! I am SO fortunate to be a part of it! I’ve gotten to witness and experience some incredible things so far. My training group (shoutout to y’all) included Claudia, Emily, Onuté, Audrey, Victoria, Maria, Marina, and Lexie! We also had Meg for a day (whom I miss a lot!!!!!! I feel so awful because I forgot to find her on Facebook and now have no idea of how to contact her!!). I was amazed at how quickly we all bonded. We have a group text going that each of us still regularly texts to, and we still hang out with each other on our days off! We also really bonded with our trainers, which consisted of Peggy and Ashley for Attendant Core day 1, Michelle and Ben for day 2, Michelle and Jacey for day 3, Ben and Jacey for day 4, and Ben, Dylan, and Peggy for Core+ days 1 and 2 (a moment of silence for the Fantasmic Five and Team Awesome Sauce. Thank you. If my training group is reading this, I miss and love you guys. Can’t wait to see you again!) I am beyond fortunate to have had such a wonderful training group and such helpful trainers. I wish I could see my trainers all the time, too! I miss them!! We also bonded so quickly with our friends that perform in parades and shows as we worked with them. My trainers weren’t kidding when they said, “Welcome to the Entertainment family.” I was amazed that I could feel such a connection with and love for these people in such a short amount of time.

On my first day of on-the-job training, I got to work with Eeyore in EPCOT for my very first set ever (I worked with Chip and Dale and Lexie for like five minutes, but that was just while Eeyore was on his way). This meant SO much to me, because those of you that know me know how much I ADORE Winnie the Pooh and his friends (shoutout to my soul mate, Tigger!!)!! What better way to start my program than by working with one of my favorite characters?? I had so much fun thanking guests for noticing Eeyore (how could you NOT? He’s adorable!) and helping to bring magic to life. Later that day, I got to work with the wonderful Mickey (my BOSS) and Rafiki, and then I chose to challenge myself by working with none other than the amazing Bolt the Superdog!!

I was really worried about working with Bolt, because he very rarely ever leaves his film set to meet friends. I knew that he had to get back to filming, so I would have to turn a lot of people away after his brief time of being out and about. I was very worried that Guests would be rude or try to get me to let them in the line after I had closed it, but fortunately everyone I met was very polite! They understood that Bolt had to leave and were happy with the other suggestions that I gave them. I only came across two problems: a group that didn’t speak English that didn’t understand when I was trying to tell them that the line was closed, and a child that was crying because she wanted to meet Bolt. I tried so hard to gesture and do everything that I could to help the foreign family to understand, but it wasn’t until they started seeing other families being turned away that they got the message and left. As for the child, I tried my best to explain why Bolt had to leave, gave her a sticker, and told her that she could go meet Snow White in Germany or Jasmine in Morocco. She seemed to feel better with this news. I was very glad that her father wasn’t mad at me!

On my next day of training, I got to work with the darling Minnie Mouse, Rafiki, Mickey, and Donald Duck! Working with Mickey was definitely my favorite part of the day because there were two attendants present (I was with Audrey!), so our duties were cut in half. This meant that I got a lot more time to interact with Guests! I remember having some really good conversations with Guests young and old, and I remember there being a lot of laughter.

In-between my Core and Core+ training days, I worked my first official shift—at Pete’s Silly Sideshow in Storybook Circus. I got to work with Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, and Donald! Attendant Core teaches you what you need to know to be a global Character Attendant. Core+ teaches you what you need to know to be a Character Attendant in your designated park. I’m stationed in the Magic Kingdom, and since I hadn’t yet had Core+ when I worked at Pete’s, I had no idea how the location worked, or even how to get there. Fortunately I ran into another attendant, Alicia from Germany, who was on her way to the same location. I followed her, and the captain (Jeseka) gave her permission to show me the ropes.

Although I was having a wonderful day and was having so much fun, I couldn’t help but get a little down on myself about halfway through the workday. I was frustrated because I kept making little mistakes here and there. Things just weren’t running as smoothly as I had hoped. The location was a little confusing and terrifying for me because not only were the attendants rotating throughout the day, but I also had to basically be a bodyguard for two characters at once while still performing all of my other duties. It was difficult, and I definitely missed a few things. But it wasn’t until I changed my perspective that I felt better. It was my first day, after all, so I shouldn’t expect so much of myself. Fortunately I had a captain and manager (Steve—Ben’s husband!!) that were super helpful and encouraging.

Core+ was another wonderful adventure in itself. After going through Magic Kingdom orientation, we split into two groups for meet-and-greet location tours (Ben’s team, the Fantasmic 5 was now only the Fantasmic 3 [except on Core+ day two, because we picked up a stray Attendant…], since our EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom Attendant friends had left us…). I toured with Dylan, Marina, and Claudia. It seemed that whenever we stopped at a location, Guests held us up for about ten minutes with questions! It was kind of funny.

Thanks to Core+, I finally felt ready to begin working in the Magic Kingdom, the most popular park at Walt Disney World, with by far the most character meet-and-greets. I am very excited that I get to experience so many different locations in my six more months of being here!

The Dream Begins Part 1: Bloom Where You're Planted

 “There's really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward - opening up new doors and doing new things - because we're curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We're always exploring and experimenting.” –Walt Disney

Nothing really hit me until the week before Check-In. Suddenly all of the anxiety hit me. My excitement was suppressed by a blanket of fear. Suddenly I felt the pressure of living away from any family, starting fresh with practically nothing, and working hard for seven months straight with little to no contact with the outside world. I became rather acquainted with my tears. I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. All of the “what ifs” flew at me constantly like darts to a dartboard. To put it shortly: I was terrified.

There was, however, no way that I would let myself turn back!! Although I was afraid, I knew that the happiness I would receive from this assignment would be more than worth any moments of doubt or fear. As I boarded my two connecting flights to Orlando, I listened to music to keep myself calm. That is when the magic began.

As my flight to Orlando prepared for landing, “I See the Light” from Disney’s Tangled started playing on my iPhone. I have, throughout this whole experience, been comparing myself to Rapunzel, feeling as if I have watched “the floating lights” from a distance and now finally get to experience seeing them in person. I looked out the window of the airplane at the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, letting the beautiful music and lyrics of the song take me on an unforgettable journey. Thousands of twinkling lights sparkled below me as streetlamps and other lights were turned on. I knew, without a doubt, “I’m where I’m meant to be.” My eyes brimmed with tears as I felt, for the first time, like I belonged here at the Program.

As “I See the Light” ended, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to listen to my favorite movie score of all time, “Waiting for the Lights,” also from Disney’s tangled.

As the musical lift at 2:10 came, I could no longer hold in the tears. It suddenly hit me. Hard.

I AM IN ORLANDO.

Goosebumps overcame my entire body as I looked at the beautiful masses below, which now appeared fuzzy because of the fluid that distorted my vision.

However, these weren’t the only magical experiences that I witnessed while on the flight. I wanted my final song while on the flight to be the finale from Fantasmic! (which is my favorite Disney Parks show of ALL TIME—but don’t even get me STARTED on Wishes. I keep that one in a completely different category because I love it every bit as much as I love Fantasmic!).

“Dreams are make believe until they all come true.” The plane’s wheels landed on the ground below exactly where the music picks up at 1:35. As the plane drove along before coming to a halt, I imagined all of the magic that I would witness and create at Walt Disney World. Mickey seemed to speak directly to me when he said “Some imagination, huh?” which once again brought me to tears, knowing now that this wonderful mouse is my boss. The plane stopped EXACTLY when the music of Fantasmic! had ended. I felt as if I had just had the most magical experience of my life. It’s incredible how music speaks to us, isn’t it?

At the airport, I met up with my roommate Kira. We had planned with our other two roommates, Amanda and Allison, to stay the night at a Disney resort—the Port Orleans Resort. This was a WONDERFUL idea because we didn’t have to worry about paying for transportation or traveling alone thanks to the Magical Express, not to mention not having to worry about our luggage. PLUS, we each got a free MagicBand out of the experience (mine is pink and says “Princess” on it, of course)!

We arrived at the beautiful Port Orleans French Quarter and met up with our other two roommates. I had met everyone before, but this was the first time that all four of us had been able to be together! Let’s just say we immediately became best friends. (I’m going to make a note here that no, we did not OFFICIALLY know our roommates yet, but we had been told multiple times that Disney makes it a priority to put people with those that they request to be their roommates. So although these girls weren’t OFFICIALLY my roommates yet, I just refer to them here as such to simplify things.)

After a very fun and exhausting day, we finally went to sleep only to awake very early the next morning. We had a taxi Subaru take ourselves and our luggage to Vista Way, where Allison had a check-in time of 8-9 a.m. The rest of us didn’t have check-in until 11 a.m., but we didn’t want to split up and make Allison travel on her own! We were afraid, however, that we would get in trouble for being on the property so early. We had gotten several emails from Disney requesting that we arrive no earlier than one hour before our scheduled check-in time. We were planning on going for a walk or something, however, when we saw how many bags we had, that was out of the question.

I helped Allison take her things to the luggage area thanks to a friendly CM traffic assistant, and sent her off to check-in like a proud mother. Not that I’m her mother or anything, I just felt like yelling “Make good choices!” as I watched her walk away to start the incredible adventure that we would all soon be embarking on. I walked to the friends and family sitting area, where the traffic assistant had told me to go to wait for Allison. I don’t think he realized that I didn’t have check-in until 11.

I wanted to get permission for Amanda and Kira to join me at the sitting area as well, which would mean that we would have to put our things in the luggage area. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to fill the luggage area with our things since we weren’t technically allowed to put them there yet. I was afraid that the traffic assistant would get upset with me if he found out how early we were for check-in, but Amanda and Kira helped me to face my fears and just talk to him. “The worst that can happen is that he will say no.” she reminded me. How right she was! I wish to strive to overcome many fears during my program and expand my comfort zone.

Boy was I glad that I talked to that traffic assistant. I forgot that I was at Disney World and that Cast Members are generally the happiest and most helpful people on earth. He directed me to tell a check-in person about our situation to see if she would be okay with our sitting in the friends and family area for a few hours. She walked with me to another CM and explained my roommates and my situation to him. He turned to me with a smile and said “If you’re ready, we can check you in right now if you want.” I was appalled. “Let’s get some magic going for you this morning,” he continued. I rushed to my roommates, we put our things in the luggage area (we had said a prayer together earlier to plead that none of our things be stolen or lost), and began the check-in process! I already felt as if the CMs that helped me were my friends. They joked sarcastically with me when I returned, teasing me for checking in early.

I was already walking on a cloud. I couldn’t believe how fortunate I was not only being where I was, but to have all the help that I had! Here it was, 8:45 in the morning, and we were already checking in! I was so glad that we could get everything out of the way early and have more free time for the rest of the day! A woman put an information sticker on the back of my Program Guide and said “Alright, Casey, you’ll be working as a Character Attendant in the Magic Kingdom, okay?” “Perfect, thank you!” I responded and walked away, smiling, my head still in the clouds from everything that had just happened. Then I realized that she had just told me that I would be working in my favorite park. I WAS OVER THE MOON. How on earth could I be so lucky???? The Lord just keeps blessing me so much!!!!

Amanda, Allison, Kira and I are all roommates! We are placed in a six person Patterson apartment, and we are thrilled! We were very anxious to meet our other two roommates (who didn’t arrive until the next day but are from Holland and are extremely polite and all-around-wonderful), and we hoped that we wouldn’t make them feel left out since the four of us were already best friends. Amanda and Kira were very kind and took my luggage to our apartment for me since I was going to Casting and wouldn’t be able to pick up my luggage for a very long time.

The rest of the process was a lot of showing and filling out paperwork. I got my housing ID and met a lot of wonderful CMs that called me by name (I was wearing a sticker nametag), which made me feel so special and important. It was a feeling that I can’t quite describe with one or two words. We each received our first gift from Disney: laundry detergent! Yay! Our first load of laundry is on the Mouse! We also received a blue Disney Internships and Programs tote bag, and for those of us that were going to Casting, our choice of a banana, orange, and/or granola bar for each of us, to keep our energy up during the long process.

The Casting building is BEAUTIFUL. This is because, a CM named Randy later explained, although it is technically a backstage area, it is still an onstage area. Disney decorations, statuettes, beautiful artwork and photographs line the walls everywhere you look. Inside rooms, cubicles and office spaces are decorated in stuffed animals, photographs, quotes and banners. I walked inside the lobby, through the double-doors that feature the Doorknob from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. I was surrounded by other excited College Programmers. After I took a few photos, Randy spoke to me as he pulled the guide rope up. “Casey, why don’t you come with me.” I could have sworn that a Professional Intern had just told us on the bus that we could take photos in the lobby! Did I hear her wrong? I couldn’t be getting myself into trouble this early!! I suppose I showed my embarrassment on my face, because he said “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble!” I was relieved to hear this, but I still didn’t know where he was guiding me. He took me to the center of the room and told me that it was the perfect place to get a panoramic picture. He was helping me! Have I mentioned how much I love Cast Members??? My picture was far from perfect, however, because I wanted to get out of the way as he started to introduce himself to the group.

He encouraged us to network as much as possible during our program, because you never know what doors it might open for you. I have come to the DCP with such an open mind. My ideas of what I want to do for my career have changed so much over the past year that I am really open to all possibilities right now. Keep moving forward. I know that my DCP could open up MANY possibilities for me, so I’m hoping to keep the relationships that I make here strong. Keep moving forward. I also hope to do a Disney Professional Internship in the future, hopefully in the Entertainment, Communications, or Casting department! Keep moving forward!

Randy introduced us to the Disney Ambassadors, Caitlin Busscher and Nathaniel Palma! These two Cast Members represent nearly 70,000 other CMs and the Walt Disney Company itself. What an incredible responsibility! I was starstruck. I am so fortunate to have met them! None of my roommates got to meet them when they attended their Casting sessions! Caitlin gave my group some fabulous advice:

“Bloom where you’re planted,”

she said. She told us that she originally wanted to be a performer, but when she got a Professional Internship in Research, she decided to be the best research person she possibly could be. This opened up so many opportunities for her, and eventually led her to a role in Disney Entertainment. Although she wasn’t performing, she found that it was very fulfilling for her to put other people onstage. All of her plans changed because she decided to bloom where she was planted! I must do the same in my role. I must keep moving forward, always doing the very best that I can do! I know that the Lord has placed me in my role for a reason, and I am so excited to see what doors this experience will open for me! I was fortunate enough to have a rather lengthy conversation with both of the ambassadors. Nathaniel was quite happy to learn that I am working in Entertainment. They both strongly stressed the importance of networking and keeping an open mind—being willing to accept what opportunities come your way.

I have already met so many College Programmers who are practically ashamed of their roles. That absolutely breaks my heart. I truly believe that every single one of us brings more magic to this company than we realize. Custodians are the root of the magic- without a clean environment, no one would be able to feel the magic within the parks! Quick Service Food and Beverage workers provide some of the magic of Disney Dining- which is often a favorite among park-goers! Every single Cast Member has the potential to find some way of creating a magical experience for a guest, whether it is through excellent customer service, an act of kindness, or a pleasant, thoughtful surprise! Every single role is CRUCIAL in maintaining the magic of the atmosphere. I truly wish that each Cast Member will bloom where he or she is planted, even if it is the last place where he or she ever wanted to be.

Randy later passed me as I waited to go into another station of Casting. He said, “Casey, you haven’t stopped smiling since you got here. Keep it up.” This made me feel AMAZING. Someone high up in Disney Casting remembered me and noticed something specific about me!! Hopefully I can leave a lasting impression on many CMs during my Program.

The Casting CMs also called me by name, and kept congratulating all of us. I could finally put into words how that made me feel.

It made me feel like I belong here.

That was an incredible feeling. My eyes brimmed with tears as I waited in line to get my I-9 form checked.

I finally walked into a room with an older woman and a man named Andrew at a computer. They were both incredibly friendly. Andrew took my I-9 form and did some work on the computer while the woman explained my training schedule to me. They both were constantly saying how much I’m going to love my role and that they can tell that I am perfect for working in the Magic Kingdom. They made me feel like I was on top of the world.

After this, I went to one last station to have my I-9 checked one final time. A woman named Megan was at a computer, and a couple of other women were in and out of the room. There wasn’t much of a line there, so we all kind of started chatting lightly, which soon turned into sarcastic joking. I don’t remember what we joked about, but suddenly Megan, laughing, said semi-sarcastically, “Casey, you’d fit in perfectly. Do you want to work here?” “Sure.” I responded, actually meaning it deep down. Although one of my dreams is to be a Casting Director in Entertainment, I’ve got to start somewhere! And honestly, any role in any department of Casting would be absolutely amazing, getting to place excited new recruits where we think they’d fit best! “We like sarcastic people.” Megan said. I strongly feel that I should keep my relationships with the women at Casting strong, because who knows if and when they will be looking for a Professional Intern or will have need of some other Casting role being filled! I felt that I was off to a great start in establishing a reputation here at Walt Disney World! First Randy, now these women!

The next day, I went to a DCP Housing meeting. There was a big movie-theater-like marquee that read, “Congratulations Disney College Program Fall 2014 Interns.” “How cool!” I thought. It wasn’t until someone else pointed out that it said “Fall 2014 Interns” that I saw those words. I laughed, wondering how that slipped unnoticed by Disney Recruitment.

The meeting took place in the Commons Clubroom. We were surrounded by big, blue walls, and at the front of the room, a projector screen displayed various depictions of Walt Disney quotes, Disney Internships and Programs photos, and a stunning photo of the Partners statue along with the words “Your journey begins here.” I shifted in my seat, filled with excitement and sentimentality, as I realized that my journey really did begin here. Different colored lights danced around all of us in the room. Above the projection screen, the big, blue wall came forward a bit with the “Disney Internships and Programs” logo spread across it.

Two Communications Cast Members started off the meeting by having us do the wave. Sarah Smiles, as she is so nicknamed, was possibly the most energetic and happy girl I have ever seen in my entire life. The meeting was very entertaining thanks to Sarah’s energy and her partner’s funny comments.

As I begin this incredible journey, I wish again to thank my Father in Heaven, without whom none of this would be possible. How grateful I am that He inspired a man many years ago with the simple idea of a cartoon mouse. Now, here I am, about to make my own dreams come true, as well as helping hundreds of other dreams to come true.

I truly hope that this is a dream from which I will not soon awake.