On Sunday, I’m moving to Anaheim to take part in the Disney College Program. To many, the program is a dream come true; who wouldn’t love applying and being accepted into DCP? As someone who grew up having Disney films as a near-constant presence in life, I’m thrilled to be working for this company for the next eight months. When I look back on how I got to this point, I realize how much I’ve changed and look forward to the future now. DCP represents a crossroad between my past and future self, and I believe will serve as a turning point in my life.

I graduated seven months ago from UCSC, and I had no clue what was next. I knew I was going to Europe with one of my dearest friends and apply for graduate school, but what was beyond that I had no direction in what I wanted to do. I tried to ignore that anxiety while in Europe, but once I landed stateside the question of my plans started creeping back. In September, I saw the ad about DCP. While researching, I realized it’s exactly what I wanted; not only would I be networking and working among people and have a big community, I’d be working for the company that essentially created my childhood. I applied and a few weeks later, I was accepted into the program.

I changed is in general self-esteem and how I perceive myself in the past couple months after being accepted. I was hired for a competitive job two years ago, and while I was over the moon I couldn’t help but ask “why was I chosen?" I applied to that job and DCP because I wanted to and felt passionate about the job, but I never actually considered I’d get it. I've found since being accepted into DCP that I've improved in second-guessing myself. It's hard to say what exactly changed, but my confidence in myself has definitely improved in a short two months.

I noticed my self-esteem increased in the job I had in college; I slowly felt confident and had solid footing of myself. People always told me how much I grew as a person in the job, and I’m starting to experience something similar through DCP. Just the fact that I’m having similar feelings to two years ago when I had started my college job thrills me; I can tell that I’m going to be able to go on a journey during my time here. My self-esteem issues come from not feeling “good enough,” and I have to remind myself I am. It was harder a couple years ago, but lately, it's been getting easier to feel like I'm okay.

Instead of focusing on the pressures and the anxiety, I’m focusing on the future. I’ll be working in a space and community where I can thrive and focus. I’ll be moving in with great roommates and make friends whom I’ll create awesome memories with in the next eight months. And last but not least, I’ll continue to grow as the person I want to be. I’m excited for DCP so I can experience that magic and make the most of my time there. My best advice to anyone considering doing DCP, I would strongly recommend applying. Starting Sunday, I’m going to do my best to continuously look to the future and keep moving forward.