On January 26th, 2015 I applied to the greatest experience of my entire life. I knew it would be the greatest experience of my life - but all I needed was to be accepted.
Applying to the Disney College Program is NOT easy. Not everyone gets accepted and it's actually incredibly hard to get accepted. I remember during my Traditions class I was one of around 7,000-8,000 acceptances out of about 32,000 applicants.
And let me tell you - that waiting game is not exactly easy.
I have never felt such utter crippling anxiety. I've always struggled with anxiety and depression and this long waiting process just made it 1,000x worse. There would be some days where I literally could not get myself out of bed because all my friends were getting accepted and I knew that acceptances were going out but mine wasn't coming. I would spend those days just constantly refreshing my email. I would do this so often I even crashed my phone one day and had to completely reset it.
On February 27th, one month, but what felt like years, after my application I was accepted into the Disney College Program. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was going home because I was so anxious and depressed, I just needed a weekend away from it all. I was going to pack but more of my friends were getting accepted so I decided to take a nap for about an hour and than I would pack. I remember I cried myself to sleep. I wanted this SO bad. I woke up and immediately checked my email and of course I had nothing. I started packing to go home and was listening to my music when I heard my email ding - I thought it was nothing. I get about 75 emails a day from a bunch of junk such as stores I like to shop at and Twitter and Facebook and Disney Parks announcements. (Which gave me a heart attack every time)
I opened my email and was greeted with "Congratulations!!!" - All I could do was burst into tears. I called my mom and read the email to her and than proceeded to run into my roommates room, who is one of my best friends and I just showed her the email and cried. I made it into the one thing I have wanted to do my entire life.
Fast Forward to August 9th, 2015. I arrived in Disney World with the biggest heart and me being a very emotional person I spent the whole day in tears, but happy tears. I met two of my best friends that day, and I didn't know it than, but I also met the love of my life that day.
It's a day I will NEVER forget. I watched Festival of Fantasy, Magic Kingdom's day parade, for the VERY first time, I ate at Be Our Guest for the first time, I watched Wishes and sobbed my eyes out because I had finally gotten my life long wish, and I met my new boss- Mickey Mouse himself AND HE TALKED TO ME.
The Disney College Program truly changed my life already and it was only day one. I had no idea the blessings and the magical moments that I was in store for. I made so many life long friends and experienced so many things. 
My time in Walt Disney World was from August 2015 until March 2016. It was unfortunately cut short for unforeseen circumstances that was addressed in a previous article. Although it was a short time it was the best time of mine and my girlfriend's life. There is absolutely NOTHING like waking up on your day off and saying to your partner, "Hey you want to go to Magic Kingdom for the day?", and than you pack a sandwich or two and YOU GO!! There is absolutely nothing like working in Disney World on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, AND Easter. It is hard because you are away from family, but you are surrounded by your new family with different traditions and it feels like home all over again. Disney World quickly becomes your home and once people come here, not a lot of people leave. I know for sure that neither of us wanted to- and neither of us really planned on ever leaving. This was our home and this was where we belonged.
But that didn't end up happening.
Although I do not regret leaving early at all it was incredibly hard.
Most people know when their last day of their college program will be and will spend it in their favorite park doing their favorite things. My girlfriend and I were not so fortunate with that. I had to leave work early to come home and be by her aid. It was in that moment that I knew I couldn't let her go home alone so I decided to go home with her. Leaving Disney was the hardest decision I've ever had to make- but not waking up to my girlfriend every day like we had been used to would have been even harder. We both never had that "last day" of anything. No last day of work, and no last day of fun. It was incredibly hard because we essentially never got to say goodbye to anyone or anything.
There was no last day seeing Minnie and Mickey Mouse every day.
There was no last Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo The Musical.
There was no last Soarin.
There was no last Fantasmic, which had become our thing.
There was no last Festival of Fantasy and Move It Shake It Dance and Play It Street Party.
There was no last Disney's Electrical Parade.
There was no last Celebrate the Magic.
There was no last Wishes.
Our wish and dream had been snatched away from us. We wish every day that we were back in our home. But we know that we will be back one day, hopefully with in the next 8 months.
The Disney College Program is the most magical experience and I urge everyone to do it. Even if you hate Disney I urge you to apply for the incredible resume building experience and the friends you make alone. But, if you do love Disney, it makes the experience that much better.
I used to go to Magic Kingdom by myself and sit on a bench and just watch kids and even adults gasp and cry when they see the castle for the first time. Which to me is arguably the greatest reactions you can see at Disney World. Which is something I never thought I would ever do in my entire life.
I made a life long friendship in Minnie Mouse, something that I sincerely cry about probably once a week still. If I was able to say goodbye to anyone, hers would have been the hardest.
If you are going to do the Disney College Program my only advice to you is to live EVERY SINGLE DAY like it is your last. Anything can happen folks, whether it is self term or termed, anything can happen at any moment. We have no way of knowing if we get sick or seriously injured or something family related happens. You just never know. I regret not going to the parks more and getting my stubborn self out of bed to just go to sit on a bench and just people watch. That's my only regret though, is not spending more time in the parks. Although I wasn't spending every day in the parks, I don't regret those few nights a week at home with my girlfriend to just chill out and eat pasta and watch whatever Netflix show we are watching at that time. Those are the times we really got to know one another. So my regret sort of contradicts itself but the message still stands, live every day like it's your last.
No job is greater than any other, we are all there to make magic.
If you wake up one morning and it's an awful day, please don't take that into your work place. There are guests who have bad days too and instead of make it worse try and make their day better with some magic.
Always remember that we create happiness.
And that it's never goodbye here, just "See You Real Soon".
Applications for Spring 2017 open soon.
Apply here: http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/
