After fifteen years of going to classes on a regular basis from elementary school through high school and on to my academic career here at Southeastern, I was in desperate need of a break from reality. What a better break from reality than to go to a place where donning a pair of mouse ears is sociably acceptable, riding on elephants happens daily and dreams come true? A vacation to Walt Disney World would just not be enough. There was another option which had been on my bucket list for quite some time.
I was accepted into the Disney College Program, a semester long internship, giving me an opportunity to work within the Walt Disney World parks. This was truly a dream come true!
Being welcomed into the Walt Disney Company as a Cast Member was a lot of Bippity Boppity Boo. I received my nametag from Mickey Mouse, toured backstage areas and learned cherished company tales and secrets. After my training was complete, I was shoved into a whole new corporate world, which I should have expected, seeing as Disney is a top entertainment company.  A huge part of the program was becoming a part of the Disney family, but also living within the confines of the college program housing right off of Disney property.
That experience for me was the exact opposite of Hakuna Matata. The problem was not where I lived but who also took up residence with me.  Before partaking in the Disney College Program, participants are informed that roommates are selected at random, and they can be from any part of the United States or the world. The three roommates that lived in my apartment were exact opposites of my personality. Fortunately, we were all so busy working that we hardly had to converse with each other.
Even though where I lived did not feel much like Ohana, the relationships and friendships that were made with my coworkers is a special bond that only we understand.
I participated in the fall program, which also coincides with peak park attendance, during holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I did not have my relatives for the holidays, but I did have my Disney family. I had the pleasure of working in the thrill ride central of the Walt Disney World Property, Hollywood Studios, selling overpriced merchandise at shops in Rockin’ Rollercoaster, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Fantasmic.
Every day as a cast member, there was a lot of interaction time with the thousands of guests that were in the parks daily, especially in the merchandise role.  Some people are happy, sleepy, bashful and others are grumpy. No matter how idiotic their questions, how rude they are or how much they complain, having those small magical moments with the more compliant guests make being a cast member all worth it.
From my program, I have so many cherished magical moments that they seem to outweigh some of the moments when I wanted to use a more condescending tone when telling guests to have a magical day.
Even though I have brought up many of my less magical moments on the program, it was honestly a dream come true and full of fond memories I will not forget.  Participating in the Disney College Program reassured my goal to make a professional career of working for the Walt Disney Company, a company rich in heritage and magic.
The program however should have included warnings about being unmotivated when you step back into the reality of college, PDD also known as Post Disney Depression and the obsessive disorder with any type of Disney merchandise and cast member behavior; all of which I clearly suffer from. It is true that I am a tad obsessed with everything Disney.
From the parks to the music and movies, I get a little teary- eyed when a Disney commercial comes on television. Pixie dust runs through my veins, and I firmly believe that dreams really do come true, because mine did.