Did you ever imagine working in a place where you get to create magic? Not hypothetically speaking, but actual magic. Whether it be for the young children who are getting their first experience or the happy old couple who got to experience it many times and are still back for more, the magic is everywhere. Magic comes in many ways for every individual that steps foot inside Walt Disney World. They get the chance to escape reality and step into a fantasy world of dreams and wishes even if it’s only for a couple days and they get to celebrate the magic with all of Walt Disney’s creations. There are many places you could do internships throughout your college career, but how many people get to say they got to work at the magical place on earth? Not many. There are many reasons as to why a college student should consider the Disney College Program.

1. Not only do you create magic for the guests but you create it for yourself.

I remember my experience in the Disney College Program, every day interacting with guests of all different ages, races, and needs. The more magic I made for them, the more I made for myself. The interactions with those guests were what made the magic for me, knowing I was making a family’s stay in the happiest place on earth memorable; it gave me the magic I needed to come into work every day with a smile on my face. Every guest I came into contact with had something special about them, something unique, and Disney welcomes all of them.

One of the experiences that I had while working in Disney was helping a girl with autism have something special to look forward to when it came to her birthday. Her name was Cora and she was turning 9 years old, she had come into my line with her family extremely excited and anxious to get on the ride and see where her imagination would take her next. Her parents had informed me that it was her birthday and this was their first time coming due to the fact that they had to take care of Cora’s disability. Without hesitation, I decided that this little girl deserved something special. I got down to her eye level and began to talk with her, getting to know her favorite ride, favorite character, just had a simple conversation, which surprised her parents because she had never interacted with anyone like that before. Sending them on their way, I informed my other cast members and guests in line of Cora’s birthday and asked if they would join me in singing Happy birthday to her when getting off of the ride. When Cora came off the ride, we all sang happy birthday to her and gave her a birthday pin. Needless to say, it made the biggest smile come across her face and she ran up to me and gave me a hug and her parents were extremely appreciative. So it’s not only for the sake of saying you’re able to work in Disney, but it’s for the moments that you create when you’re there that make the experience worthwhile.

2. The people you meet are the best people you will ever meet.

I met some of my best friends in the Disney College Program and also students from all around the world. The Disney College Program offers thousands of college students whether they are located in the United States or International the opportunity to be able to experience Disney from a cast member point of view and they provide the housing where all the college students stay throughout the duration of their program. This made it so much easier to make friends and some of those people turn into lifelong friends. I met my one best friend, who also happened to be my roommate, Stacy, and the other we ended up meeting on one of our adventures in Animal Kingdom. I met people from Australia, Brazil, France, and places I probably never knew existed until I went through the Disney College Program. Everyone there was extremely welcoming and it was much different from a regular college setting.

3. The time that you get to spend in the parks!

Honestly, even though I’ve been there about 11 times, this was a huge one for me. You might think that while you’re in that program you are going to be working 24/7 (well I mean… I did) however, that’s not the case. You will get downtime and get to be one of Walt’s many guests that get to come and play in the parks and it’s just as magical and amazing as being a Cast Member. Getting unlimited access to the parks was probably one of the best perks because you always had something to do on your days off with your roommates or the people you worked with, or the friends you met along the way. You also get to experience the parks in their many different forms as the holidays come around. The parks were a great way to create memories with the people that you called your family for the 6-8 months that you were there.

4. You get the opportunity to become an independent individual and learn valuable life skills.

Now, when I say independent, I mean your parents aren’t holding your hand taking care of you. The Disney College Program taught me how to be able to take care of myself living on my own. I grew up in many ways, two of them being I learned how to manage my time in an orderly fashion and I learned how to properly manage money. Aside from managing how I should properly spend my time and money, I also did one thing I never did before until I moved to Florida which was living with people other than my family. I was definitely spoiled at home, but when I got to Disney I had to wash my own clothes, cook myself dinner or made sure I actually ate, I had to make sure that our apartment was extremely tidy, all of the stuff you learn when living on your own. Coming to ESU, I still commute being that I live 20 minutes away from campus, but I definitely wasn’t 20 minutes away from home anymore when I lived in Florida. Therefore, I needed people to live with. Were they my best choice of roommates? Sure. Did we get along 100% of the time? Absolutely not. Learning how to adapt to the living styles of other people that were not my family was a little difficult, but it was probably the best learning experience I had. Being in the Disney College Program taught individuals such as myself a lot about the aspects of actually living as an adult and I think that’s a huge reason why one should do this program.

5. You are able to expand your knowledge of the Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney World constantly has an atmosphere of growth and with that growth comes new and all types of brand new information. From the way they train their cast members to the overall knowledge of facts that gets passed down to the new cast members “earning their ears.” One of the many things I had learned on the Disney College Program was the proper way to point or show a guest where something is. Being a cast member, I was taught to point with two fingers or a whole hand instead of the typical one finger. Reason being is because pointing with one finger might be offensive to other cultures. Training aside, you know all the “secrets” of Walt Disney World and how people will go and blog them? College participants are able to find out these secrets as cast members. One of the secrets I had learned about and actually got to experience was the underground tunnel in Magic Kingdom. This was a way for cast members to pass through without crossing into other lands in the Magic Kingdom and essentially “disrupting” the magic or illusion of that land. Walt had a certain vision when he created the parks, especially in Magic Kingdom that each land stuck to their own land, therefore, a cast member working in Tomorrowland could not go into Fantasyland. A college participant on this program will learn more about the company even if they know nothing at all except the name Disney.

6. It looks great on a resume and helps you build a better professional look.

There are many reasons why this internship could look great on a resume, but an important reason is just the name alone. Having “Walt Disney World” on your resume will not only show your next employer that you clearly have a lot of people skills, but it will show them your level of commitment for the job itself. Walt Disney World has very strict guidelines that a cast member has to follow and there lies the commitment. I dyed my hair, covered my tattoos, and made myself seem literally so “innocent” in a guest’s point of view while I was on the clock every day. There was also a constant self-evaluation of how your individual attitude was every day. No employer wants to hire someone that is down in the dumps all the time or getting snippy with guests, they want someone who is 110% willing to assist and interact with them in a friendly way. So, if you weren’t having a “not so good day,” you still put the biggest smile on your face and carried on, because you as a cast member were the biggest part of Walt Disney World’s show. The professional look you carry walking out of that program gets you ready for many situations that you’ll face in other jobs.

7. Most importantly, it’s the biggest life-changing experience.

When I was down in Disney, not only did I have the best time of my life, but I also truly found who I was as a person when I got there. It opened so many doors and possibilities I never thought possible for myself as well as allowing me to break out of my shell. It allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the one of the most known companies throughout the world, have new things become a thing of habit, get myself out there and explore new surroundings, make friends that I called family, and literally so much more. It was one of the best most amazing experiences I had and I would do it all over again given the chance, from the interview process, to check-in day, to all the adventures I had, the people I met, etc. Some people say you find happiness in your passions, I found my happiness and my home with Disney.

Even if the Disney College Program doesn’t fit your major (because it certainly didn’t fit mine) still consider doing it because you never know what could happen if you do.

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” - Walt Disney