I remember how I felt when I saw that slip of paper that said I’d be working in guest operations at ESPN Wide World of Sports until Blizzard Beach re-opened. Wait what? This wasn't even the role I accepted and I was not happy about it.

I was both really confused and really upset. That's not what I had signed up for and unfortunately training did not make me feel better. Parking cars and guarding doors? This wasn’t the making magic I had always dreamed of and I was devastated. I thought about giving up and going home and I'm sure glad I didn't.

But luckily for me, I wasn't alone. There were a group of slide operators, lifeguards and main entrance college program cast members who were in the same situation. Through parking cars in the blazing Florida heat to working till late hours of the night during dance competitions that seemed to always get delayed, we became a family. Honestly, the job was never my favorite, but knowing that I would go to work and see these people always made it worth it.

I remember the first night I hung out with everyone in a big group -- 12 of us all went to magic kingdom. As we walked down main street, the boys were chanting ESPN. As I laughed and smiled, that was the first time I remember feeling like this was where I belonged. I have so many magical memories with these people through our family dinners, house of blues nights and all the random park trips. We not only bonded through work but outside of work as well. I learned to count on those people and they became so special to me.

Even though I went through two other work locations by the time I finally left Florida, Nothing ever replaced my ESPN ohana. On my last night, I found myself sobbing and hugging some of the same people that I had began my journey with 6.5 months before. The bond we shared was irreplaceable and without them I kinda doubt I would have even stayed in Florida as long as I did. They are the reason I extended my program and part of the reason that I miss my college program every single day.

Being in this situation allowed me to experience Disney magic in a different way than I originally expected. I experienced magic through seeing a group of incredibly different college kids from all over the world come together to form friendships that will last a lifetime. I miss these people every single day and I’m so thankful that all of our paths crossed in life. Without ESPN, I probably wouldn't have met these people and today I couldn't imagine my life without them. I'm so lucky that I found such a great group of people who I still keep in contact with.