In the spring semester of 2015, I had the opportunity to do something that I had only ever dreamed of. I got to participate in the Disney College Program as a cast member at Walt Disney World. Disney has always been special to me ever since that first time I turned the corner on Main Street USA to see the castle in Magic Kingdom as a little girl. The magic continued for me as I got to return as a senior in high school with my marching band since we got to march down Main Street USA. That was the first time I got a taste of making magic for children. Little girls were ooh-ing and ahh-ing as they pulled their mothers and fathers close to tell them how pretty they thought we were in our glittering velvet costumes as we spun shimmering flags to the band playing a parade rendition of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. At that moment, I knew that Disney was more than just a vacation spot to me. It was a place that made me happy and I could see that it made so many others happy. Seeing the wide eyed children and parents made me feel like I made an impact. I made magic. I was a part of a moment that they would take back with them. I was a part of inspiration for girls and boys to maybe be in a marching band or become a performer or maybe just a moment of happiness in their life. All of this made me fall in love with Disney. When I learned about the Disney College Program, I knew I had to do it. My dream came true in fall 2014 when Disney told me they'd see me real soon.

I was an attractions cast member at Walt Disney World so every day was a new adventure with guests from all over the world, guests of all ages, and guests with all different personalities. Every day brought a new challenge for me. Working in at theme park, especially at the most visited one in the world, is a demanding job. I learned so much about myself and others in this job experience.

Problem Solving

After training and going to my first day of work without my trainer beside me, I was so anxious. There were so many positions and rotations I would go through and so many different expectations of me at each position. That meant I had to think on my feet, be responsible and respectful, and still keep the story and show of my attractions alive as a cast member. If there was a problem, I had to make the call whether to notify a manager or to solve the problem myself. If a guest has an issue, you have to power to make or break that moment for them. You can make or break their vacation that they have spent thousands on and may not be able to make happen again for their families. So being a great problem solver is important when working in a theme park, especially Walt Disney World. Split second decisions are a constant in a theme park and the safety of lives can be determined with those choices made at the hands of theme park workers. And it can be really scary. You have to know what to do if machinery makes a noise. You have to know who to call. You have to know the process of notifying fellow workers but also remember not to freak out guests. Working in a theme park is just a constant "make it or break it" scenario playing out before your eyes.

Patience and Compassion

I never have considered myself a patient person, at least until I worked in a theme park. And truthfully, working there was a test of my values. One thing that really touched my heart was getting to meet guests of all nationalities, ages, and health-statuses. I loved getting to meet elderly who could be on their last hurrah at WDW or maybe they visit all of the time and were hitting up their favorite rides to make memories with their families. We never know where people come from, the sacrifices they made to get this vacation, or what their life story is, so giving them a positive, magical, and memorable moment with you and the story of your attraction or role is vital. And this has inspired me in my daily life outside of being a cast member. Of course I live for southern hospitality, being a southern girl, but I really thought about how much one moment can change a person's life; how much a moment means. One moment I'll never forget is meeting a Make-A-Wish family. Their daughter was in a very large stroller and was wearing a beautiful sparkling white dress. Her hair was slicked up in a perfect ballerina bun, complete with a tiara. I was assisting them as they picked her up out of her stroller to put her into the seat on the ride. Apparently she had lost the ability to walk from whatever sickness was destroying her body. I made sure I was patient and giving them a beautiful moment as a family. Who knows if the days were numbered for this little girl? Who knows what else had happened during their day? Who knows the stress this has put on the family financially, emotionally, and for everyone else's health in the family? Whatever I was doing deserved complete patience and compassion. Watching the roller coaster turn the corner at the end was so touching for me. Laughter filled the air all around the family. Their little girl was so happy. I asked if she wanted to again and her eyes lit up. I think I told the other cast members they were riding like 5 other times after the first. How could I say no? I hope and do believe that I made part of their day extra magical and memorable. Yes, I did have a job that gave me power to make the magic happen, but how many times a day do we think about the power we have just as regular people? The test of my values, patience, compassion was one that I needed and one that everyone needs especially in the world we live in today.

How To Deal With People

Oh how I'll forever hate the phrase "the customer is always right". And that's for several reasons. I have talked about how you never know how much money people spend for their vacations and the sacrifices they have made to get there. And workers and the main goals of these parks specifically are to give magical and memorable experiences for families, but serving people for every wish they have is not exactly what people are going to get and it is for sure not what they deserve always. I met guests who wanted to pass the entire line just because his wife was pregnant. I met guests who wanted to go through the fast pass line just because they thought the stand-by line was too long. They think that workers are there to grant their every selfish wish, but obviously that is not the case. I even had guests question my word on some important rules that are followed in every Disney park. For example, one time I was checking on guests before the ride was put into motion. It was two girls. I knew they looked kind of young, and they had passed through all of the queue and other cast members as a pair, but I went ahead and asked how old they were. I don't remember their exact ages, but I do remember that they were not within the supervising age rules. So, following the rules, I waved down other cast members and had to politely ask these two girls to exit the ride and come back with someone older. They came back, and this time, with a parent, and she was furious. I'm sure she was about ready to yell and curse. Me, being a new cast member, I simply told her I was following rules and it was for their safety. She was not having it, so the more experienced cast members told me they could handle it. They got into the ride together anyways, frowns and all. When the ride was over, I pointed these guests to the exit and told them to have a magical day! Sometimes you just have to kill them with kindness.

I could go on all day about stories and lessons learned from working in a theme park. I learned a lot about myself and maybe even more about others, but I gained some incredible skills and values from my experience of being a cast member at Disney World. These skills and values are with me every day of my life now. I had to leave the program early due to health complications, and that's another story, but I wouldn't change that experience for anything. I took a great opportunity, met incredible people at my job and as guests, got to know myself a lot better, and made beautiful and hilarious memories that I now get to share with everyone.