Accepted!

I'm gonna be a Disney Cast Member!!!!

Well, I've known since February that I got accepted into the college program, but I've been extremely busy finishing up school and such that I haven't had time to sit down and blog, much less do my picture with my all-important purple folder. But, now that I will be graduating in 4 days, I have all the time in the world to get caught up on everything I haven't gotten to do. :)

Okay, let me explain background information on the Walt Disney World College Program (otherwise known as WDWCP from here on out), and how I came to be a part of it.

I grew up on Disney. My 1st birthday party was Mickey Mouse themed. I remember when Beauty and the Beast (my all-time favorite Disney Princess movie) and Aladdin came out. In fact, my 6th birthday party was Aladdin themed (I got to be Jasmine!). I remember listening to Radio Disney when I was little. Disney has been a part of my life since I was born.

When I was 9, I got to go to Disney World for the first time. I was already in love with Disney, but being in Disney World just sealed the deal for me. I had never experienced anything so magical before. Seeing the castle (which that year was decorated as a giant birthday cake for the 25th anniversary), meeting the characters, and being away from reality for a week....it was the most exhilarating feeling in the world. And I became addicted. From that first glimpse into that magical place, I have wanted to work there.

I don't remember exactly when I heard about the College Program. I think it was either my senior year of high school or my freshman year of college. But when I did hear about it, I knew I had to do it. However, after I transferred colleges and changed my major, I didn't think I would be able to. Being an education major requires a lot of time, and it doesn't really allow for studying abroad or anything of that sort. However, last year, I learned that I could still do the program after I graduate, as long as I did it the semester following graduation. Not only did I find out that I could still do the CP, but I also found out that Disney has teachers for their Youth Education Series. Needless to say, I became addicted to finding out everything I could about the CP, and I visited their site almost on a daily basis trying to find out when I could apply for this fall. Well, in late January, I finally got my chance! (I think I was one of the first to apply, because they didn't announce that applications were open until I had already done the web-based interview.) There are 2 parts to the application process for the CP: the web-based interview and the phone interview. The web-based interview is basically your application. You find out at the end of that whether or not they want to do a phone interview with you. Luckily, I got to do that phone interview. I scheduled that for about a week later. And let me tell you, the day of my phone interview, I was a nervous wreck! It was so hard to teach while knowing that when I got home that afternoon, I would have the interview of a lifetime. But I made it through, and I made to the phone interview. That took about 30 minutes, and they told me at the end of it that it would be about 3 weeks before I heard anything. Well, exactly 2 weeks later, I had an email from them. I read the word "Congratulations!", and I started screaming. I didn't get any further in the email for about the next 15 minutes. I knew at that moment that any dream I have, no matter how big, can come true.

These last few months have been spent finishing up school and focusing on Saturday (GRADUATION DAY!!!), and thinking about the CP. My arrival date down there is August 8, and I couldn't be more excited. I'm really excited because now that I'm done with school, I can focus all of my attention of preparing for the next chapter in my life. I'll only be down there for 5 months, but I know that this is going to be the best 5 months of my life. And I know that it could also open a ton of doors for me. And that's what I'm hoping for. If I can get a permanent job with Disney, I would be the happiest girl in the world. 97 days!!! :)