Disney Internship Journal

August 10 – 16, 2015

My first week here at Disney has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. On Monday, while at check-in, I realized I forgot one of the most important things that I needed to begin my journey here at the happiest place on earth – my social security card. With that said, I had to have my close friends mail it to me on next day air, and everything ended up working out.I also finally got to meet my roommates that I had been talking to for the past couple months, and they all are so amazing. We are all from different areas like, Mississippi, Utah, Illinois, and even Puerto Rico! I am experiencing numerous different types of cultures and views here, and it is very eye opening. I am able to connect with others on a diverse level that I would have never had the ability to do so before because of the exposure I am faced with on a daily basis.Throughout this week, I have already learned so much about others and myself. I start my training process next week, so I am excited to see where this internship is going to lead me. I believe I am going to gather so much more knowledge not only about marketing and communication, but also about life in general.

August 17 – 23, 2015

My training process to become a cast member for Walt Disney World has officially started, and I am working in the Backlands located in Hollywood Studios! I am faced with many challenges everyday while experiencing living on my own without my family or close friends. I have gotten a little homesick, but that was expected coming into this internship. Being on my own has allowed me to find myself and really develop individually. I am thankful for all of these challenges because it is benefiting my future even though I may not realize it in the moment.The first few training classes have been intense, and somewhat scary. It is a lot of information to take in at once, and also apply to our everyday lives now. I am basically changing my way of life, and I am growing up faster than I thought. At first, I thought that I was familiar with my abilities to accomplish certain tasks, but now I know I am able to do anything that I have the desire to do. I want to succeed in everything I do, so this self-motivation has led me to this wonderful opportunity. Next week is my on the job training, and I am pretty nervous, but I am going to go into it with a positive attitude! I am ready to experience new things, and I know working here will allow me to do so.

August 24 – 30, 2015

This week was my on the job training for the merchandise role in the Blacklands of Hollywood Studios. It was a wonderful, liberating experience. Several foreign guests approached me, I had to learn how to Disney count, and I also had to learn the computer systems of the registers and the time clock. When I was communicating with the guests from a different culture and way of life, I had to make sure I was being courteous with my hand gestures and language. For example, in some countries only pointing with one finger is inappropriate, so here at Disney we have

what’s called a Disney Point. The Disney Point is either pointing with two fingers together or your entire hand. This ensures that no one will be offended when one is trying to help with directions. Previously, I never worked on a register like the ones here in the Backlands stores. Once I learned the basics of the system, it was pretty simple to operate. Learning new computer skills has allowed me to effectively help the guest checkout; I’m able to ship the items to their home if necessary, and I can look up many of the questions our guests may have through the system. The computers that are used to clock in and out for breaks or lunch, are very important. If one does not properly use the system, it could affect their paycheck in a negative way. The Disney Count that I was introduced to helps to make sure the proper change is given back to the guest. The way it works, is taking the amount of cash the guest gives you and counting backwards from the total. It sounds a lot more complicated, but it actually does help with being efficient with the amount of money that is being handled. The next few days, I am going to be learning more about the systems in details, and how to communicate with others during specific situations. I will then have my final assessment that consists of 73 questions that I must pass to be able to work on my own in the Backlands. I am excited for all of this knowledge I am gaining, and the new cultures I get to interact with daily!

August 31 – September 6, 2015

I passed my assessment!! This means I am officially a Walt Disney World Cast Member in the Backlands. I am so excited, but I am also very nervous to work on my own now. What if I make a mistake? What if I don’t know the answer to one of the guest’s questions? …No need to worry though because I have some of the greatest co workers that have assured me that if I have any questions or concerns at all, I can always ask them. This takes some of the pressure off of me when thinking about being on my own starting tomorrow (September 2nd).Today was my first day on the job without any trainers, and I have to admit it was pretty scary. I had a few bumps in the road, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. I had a guest who wanted to ship the merchandise back to their resort, and I completely forgot the steps on how to do this. I was about to break down, but I had an amazing co worker near by who walked me through the process. I realized that I don’t need to put so much pressure on myself right away because I am still learning and I am not going to know everything right from the start. This whole journey is a learning process consisting of many different experiences that I have never come in contact with before. I am going to retain a lot more of the information when I am put into the actual situation, so I am taking every bump in the road as a gain and not a negative aspect. Stay tuned for many more interesting encounters I may have through out the weeks and months!

September 7 – September 13, 2015

WOW! What a week. I have experienced some of the craziest things I thought I would never experience. First of all, I got to be part of the crew who opened our brand new Star Wars store, Watto’s Grotto! This was a blessing in itself because I

became a part of Disney’s history. With that said, there were many hours of work to follow the grand opening. I worked three eleven and a half hour shifts in a row, followed by a ten and a half hour shift. Needless to say, I was exhausted. But it was all worth it in the end because I met some amazing people from all over the world, made some magical memories with multiple children, and I got to know all of my co workers a little bit better. One magical memory that was made, was when we were all building our own light sabers, and we had a family come in with about five children, they were all interested in the light sabers, but the parents could not afford to buy one for each child. A few of my co-workers and I had an idea to just make them all one, and have them pose for a family picture holding all of the light sabers. This was a great experience because all of the children got to at least interact with the merchandise, and their faces lit up like Christmas lights when we asked if they wanted to play fight after the picture. We had some friendly battles, and then they headed off in the park to enjoy the rest of their day. These are the memories and times that make me see the true beauty in marketing and communication. No matter where one is from, the communication may be slightly different, but the way you interact with a friendly smile can make all the difference in their day. I am so glad I get to experience this from a personal, first-hand view, and I am ready to make more magical memories in the upcoming months.


Hello again! I have some fun updates to inform you all on. This week was the week my mom decided to come down to visit! I got to be her tour guide for all of the parks, and show her how a day as a Disney cast member typically goes. We visited three of the four parks when she was here, including the park that I work at, Hollywood Studios. She got to experience how I would communicate with a guest who didn’t speak English, or how I would market some of the products I was selling. Seeing what I do from a guest’s point of view is very helpful because it shows what I need to improve on along with what I am doing well. My mom gave me some suggestions that would improve the overall experience at Disney that I could bring up with my managers and coordinators that I would have not picked up on being a cast member. After living a day as a guest, I went back to the life of a working cast member. With some improvements and different approaches in mind, I had a great rest of the week. One of the suggestions was to have a telecast available to cast members, so we could help guests with more specific questions they may have. For example, I had a guest ask me where we served soft serve ice cream, so I was able to pull out my telecast and tell them the exact locations that served that type of ice cream. With this improvement, I am able to communicate more clearly and give the guests a seamless vacation. Next week should bring more learning experiences and improvements, so I am looking forward for what is to come!


I got “promoted” this week! I had been talking and mentioning to my coordinators that I wanted to start closing registers and being a money runner at the end of the

nights when the park closes. They had a lot of people who were interested in doing the same thing that I was itching to do, but they chose me to start training! I was beyond excited and blessed to have the opportunity to expand what knowledge I had already been exposed to. I got to learn some more behind the scenes information along with some secret codes to allow myself to be able to deal with such a huge responsibility, like the money from all of the registers. They don’t typically choose people from the college program to take on these type of positions, but the fact that they chose me makes me want to keep exceling in my work place, and do the best I can to make the most of this opportunity. I feel like with this exposure to such important aspects to running a company efficiently, and being able to be trusted is one of the greatest things I can accomplish. I will continue climbing the ladder to be the best that I can be so I am able to continue to accept these great opportunities that arise for me. I will continue training throughout the weeks, so I get more comfortable with the entire process as well. I also started my Corporate Communications class through Disney this week. My instructor is very knowledgeable and she has been with the company for 25 years! I am excited to learn more about how Disney communicates throughout the employee side of things along with the corporate world. When I am able to know more of how the magic happens everyday for our guests because of everything that we do behind the scenes, I think I will appreciate and understand more about how much work and effort actually goes into every little detail.

September 28 – October 4, 2015

This past week has been the most interesting week I’ve had so far! I got the opportunity to pick up a shift at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom during the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Event. This merchandise store is the largest, busiest store located in Disney, and I got the experience of viewing how hectic a work night is. My shift time was from 8:30pm to 2:30 in the morning, but I did not end up getting off work around 3:30 am! At my current location in Hollywood Studios, we must clock out at our end time, but at the Emporium, you are not allowed to clock out until the store is completely re-stocked, cleaned, and all of the registers are properly closed. With that said, everyone who was working that night put in a lot of work and effort to get the store in tiptop shape, so we could clock out as soon as possible. Needless to say, we were all exhausted and ready to get home. At the time, I was thinking to myself, “why in the world did I offer to work here,” but I am so glad I did. It gave me a different experience from what I usually do as a cast member in Hollywood Studios. We all came together as a team to help out with what needed to be done, and without proper communication and effort, the store would have never gotten cleaned up. Effective communication and teamwork are essential things that must be accomplished to have a goal reached. I plan on picking up other shifts in different locations, so I can broaden my work experience and learn about different ways of operating in the Disney Company. This week was also my second week into my Corporate Communication class. We got deeper into the fundamentals of communication when it comes to keeping a company’s reputation, brand, and stakeholders on good standards. I did not realize how intricate and detailed each

step of a company took to effectively operate. We are studying how companies use different messages through their commercials to better persuade the targeted audience. I am also learning more about the logos, pathos, and ethos aspect of each message the company is advertising. Some would think just one is used in each commercial or message, but they are all used together to better formulate the persuasion. I’m looking forward to our first project as well. The assignment is to get in a group and create a news report about a certain company using different types of messages. We must present it to the class in either video form, using some type of prop, or in another creative way. I think by doing this project, and getting to actually create a news report using advertisement, it will benefit my understanding of not only communication between audiences, but the marketing aspect as well. Stay tuned for more updates on my Disney experience! There is plenty more to come in the future!

October 5 – October 11, 2015

To pick up on where I left off, I want to give an update on our project! We have decided to do our news reports on Starbucks Coffee. One of our ideas for the international news report is to record in one of the countries located in Epcot to give the actual feel that we are outside of the United States. I cannot wait to see how the final product looks like! Some exciting news in the work place is that I received not only my first Four Keys Card, but I also received a second Card! A Four Keys Card is a card that you can receive or give to a cast member to recognize their hard work and dedication to making magic. These cards have to be signed off by a manager as well. In my work location, we are actually having a contest of the top twelve cast members who receive the most Four Keys Cards, and those top twelve members get an awesome trip at the end of the month! My first Four Keys Card was presented to me from one of my managers, Cathy. She said I did an amazing job entertaining the children at the Build Your Own Light Saber Station, and was very courteous to all of the guests while doing so. Another guest who wanted to thank me for taking the time to walk her little brother through building his own light saber gave my second card to me. Her little brother is challenged and has trouble concentrating on one thing at a time, so I was very happy when my patience got noticed. These are the times that I hold onto when I have to go to work when I am exhausted or not feeling well. I know that I have the opportunity to make someone’s day or even vacation on a daily basis, so I am blessed and excited to see what challenges I am presented with this upcoming week.


I had my first Heart of House shift this week. The Heart of House shift is an opening shift that starts at 5:30 in the morning and ends at 2 o’clock in the afternoon! What I had to do was open a couple of our shops. I had to make sure the store was fully stocked along with bags, receipt paper, and that the trash cans were properly taken

care of. I made sure all of the tarps and locks were taken off of the merchandise posts as well. In The Wonderful Shop, I had to take care of an order that came in. So what this means is that I had to open all of the boxes and ornaments to figure out if they needed to be put out on the floor or stored in our back room. After going through each box and ornament, I had to take all of the Styrofoam and cardboard backstage to the dumpsters. Needless to say, it was a lot of tedious work, but I truly enjoyed it because I was always busy, so it made it seem like time was flying by. I also got to preview the Dancing Osborne Lights that guests wont get to see until November! I got to view them because the light crew works on them all throughout the night, then they test them in the morning before the park opens! Even though I was exhausted walking into work, once I saw the lights, I was in amazement. Seeing things like the Osborne Lights makes me love and appreciate what I do so much more. I have learned to appreciate even the smallest things that I come across. It means the world to me when I get to tell a guest “happy birthday,” or when I am able to just make someone smile. I never understood the power of a smile, and how making others feel good makes me feel even better. I’ve learned a lot about marketing and communication, but I am the most proud about learning to enjoy and appreciate the small things in life that are right in front of us that don’t cost a dime. I know I’ve said it once or twice, okay maybe a few times before, but I am beyond blessed to be where I am today. Working for Disney World has been the most amazing journey I have ever experienced, and it is just beginning! Stay tuned for more updates on this wild ride of mine!


Disney cast members often get an opportunity to make a guest’s dreams come true. In my class this week, our instructor asked if any of us had some magical moments or stories to share. One of my classmates had a story that truly brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. She works at Animal Kingdom in merchandise, and she crossed paths with a young girl who was visiting Disney through the Make A Wish Foundation. Jessie, my classmate, said while she was getting to know the guest, she found out that her favorite character was Baymax, but they didn’t carry anything associated with that specific character. The little girl was so sad when Jessie had to tell her that Animal Kingdom didn’t have the merchandise, but when Jessie told her that Hollywood Studios had some merchandise associated with Baymax, the guest informed her that this was her last day in Disney. Jessie felt so bad for the little girl, so after she got off work, Jessie drove to Hollywood Studios, and got the Baymax merchandise. She personally delivered the gift to the little girl and her family at their hotel room. She said the guests immediately started crying, and the girl said that Jessie made her only dream come true, and that she is able to die peacefully now. I am so amazed at the power of something like this, and I can’t think of another place to work where these opportunities are brought to our attention everyday. I hope that I am able to make a child’s dream come true sometime soon. This pushes me to be my best and put others first. I know the smallest things can make the biggest difference, so I am just going to keep smiling, and enjoy everyday I get to be apart of this great company.

October 26 – November 1, 2015

I can’t believe that it is already November! This semester is flying by, but it feels like it is just beginning. So this week I encountered a lot of “firsts.” To start it off, one of my roommates, Emily, was taking a tour of the backstage area of Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios when she suddenly started to feel bad. She felt some major pains and cramping in her lower abdominal area, and they got so severe that she became paralyzed in a squatting position and could not take another step. When this happened, one of the fellow members of the class taking the tour called me and asked me to bring Emily’s medical card to the Hollywood Studios first aid area because Emily may have to go to the hospital. Frantically searching the apartment to find her medical information, I finally found it and ran to the car to make my way over there. When I get there, Emily is hunched over in pain and the nurse asks me if I would be willing to ride in the ambulance with Emily to the Florida Hospital, Celebration. Without hesitation, I agreed to go with her. There was no way I was going to let her go through this by herself. On the ride over to the hospital, I start reflecting back on some of our roommate memories we’ve already made and crack a smile. At this point, I am just hoping that in the future, we will be able to look at this moment and laugh, but right now we just want to figure out what is going on. Once we make it to the hospital, Emily’s pain has subsided substantially, which we are very happy with, but the doctors insist that they run some tests just to be safe. The first thing they wanted to do was some blood tests, but Emily is deathly afraid of needles, and it was a big struggle to try to get an IV started. Finally she was able to relax just enough for the nurse to put the IV in. The next step was to get an ultra sound done to check if Emily may have an ovarian cyst, or a possible twist in her abdominal area. The last procedure was a pelvic exam, which was definitely not a favorite one by any means. After waiting for six hours and going through all of the necessary steps, we finally got the results. All of the tests and exams turned out good! We are still unsure what may have caused the pain, but we are so happy and blessed that the doctors didn’t find anything severe. So, I got to go on my first ambulance ride and my first ‘hospital-waiting scare.’In other news, my communications class is running smoothly so far! We are still working on a group project that we were assigned, and I think ours is going to turn out great! We have some unique ideas that will set us apart from the other groups. I think by having these unique ideas, it gives me a vision of how I want to be seen in the professional world. I believe that I have all of the capabilities to achieve my dream of becoming a top executive or manager of a large company one day, and with the experiences I’ve already encountered at a young age puts me one step ahead of the game. I have mastered customer communication skills, along with managerial communication. I know what needs to be done in order to meet business goals, have a seamless customer interaction, and how to also respect to those around me. I want to treat everyone with the same respect and integrity, whether you are above or below me in job rankings, because everyone deserves to be treated well. I am going to treat people how I expect to be treated. I have learned this objective by being put in the situation. One of my managers, Chelsea, treats

everybody, from the newest cast member to the cast member that has been with the company for over twenty years, with the same respect. I would like to portray this attitude and character to my co-workers and possibly employees one day, so I value this aspect very much. I am so pleased with what I have learned and I know I will succeed in whatever I choose to do because I have the necessary skills to handle whatever may be thrown my way. I’m looking forward to what things or situations I will encounter this next week as the busy, holiday season starts brewing for us down here in Disney World!

November 2 – November 8, 2015

This week was the premier of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Hollywood Studios! This is also the last year they will be appearing in Hollywood Studios due to the new Star Wars Land that is being put in. This was my first time ever seeing the lights, and I was in tears when they came on. They were absolutely breath taking. These little moments make me stop and reflect on how much the little things in life matter. It is not all about how much money one has, or how high you are in the workplace. I have found that respect and character can go a long way and mean so much. I am so happy that I am learning these valuable lessons at a fairly early age, so I am going to be able to apply this knowledge to not only my career, but also my life. I have began thinking about how much of an impact this internship has had on my life and my growth as a person, and I want everyone to be able to have an opportunity like I did, or to at least have the knowledge of the great things that are offered to take advantage of. I am hoping that when I come back to campus in the spring that I could go to some classes or hold an informational meeting to be able to share my experiences with other interested students. Even though I am working while I am in Disney World, I have not realized until now, the amount of knowledge and skills I have picked up along the way. This would be a great way for me to get involved with the school and student body more as well. I look forward to coming back to Columbus to share all of my journey stories with!


It was a surprise filled week for me! First of all, I got chosen to be a part of an exclusive behind the scenes tour of The Haunted Mansion ride in Magic Kingdom on the 18th of November! We had a contest in our area involving the Four Keys Cards. Out of all of the cast members in the backlands, the top twelve people who received the most Four Keys Cards in the month of October, got offered a spot to go on this once in a life time tour! I was number 5 out of the twelve cast members! I was so excited when my manager gave me my certificate that I ran around the stock room shouting with joy. Along with receiving my Haunted Mansion certificate, another one of my managers delivered an Applause-O-Gram to me. At first, I didn’t even know these existed, and then My manager, Stacy, explained them to me. It almost brought tears to my eyes hearing how I received this wonderful gift. An Applause-O-Gram is basically a letter to a cast member from a guest who really appreciated a specific service or experience they received. The guest must go all the way to the

front of the park at Guest Relations, and sometimes wait a tremendous amount of time just to hand write a letter that is then delivered to the certain cast member. Mine was from a guest who was looking for the Spectacle of Dancing Lights ornament, and we no longer had them in our location, but the guest told me that it was the only thing her mother was wanting, so I decided to take it among myself to walk all the way to the other stores to find just one ornament for this incredible family. I was determined to make their night just a little bit better. I wasn’t expecting anything from it because I get such a joy from the reaction of the guest when we are able to make their dreams and wishes come true, but this letter made my day and let me know that my dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. All of my co-workers, leaders, and coordinators congratulated me, and it encourages me to continue my hard work even though I may encounter rude, unhappy guests because I know by just smiling at someone can turn their day around. I also encountered a magical moment during The Family Osbourne’s Spectacle of Dancing Lights one night while I was vending our glow merchandise. One night this week, I was a “walker” for the glow merchandise, which just means that I had a lot of glow necklaces around me, and I looked like a walking Christmas tree! I ran into a family while I was walking, and noticed a young girl in a wheel chair. I started dancing with the girl to help the family get into the Christmas spirit, they were all good sports, and danced along with me. After dancing with them for a while, I noticed the little girl did not have any glow necklaces and I know she really liked the ones I was wearing. The necklaces range from twelve to fifteen dollars, but I saw my coordinator, Brian, across the street, so I ran over to him and asked him if I had permission to make a magical moment for this family, and he said yes! After getting permission, I made my way back to the family and continued dancing with them. Then, I asked the girl in the wheelchair if she liked any of the necklaces and her eyes lit up immediately. I let her pick out her favorite one, and put it around her neck free of charge. The family kept thanking me, and it truly warmed my heart. After saying goodbye and wishing them a good night, the little girl’s grandmother ran over to me, and asked how much the necklaces were because the girl had a twin with the same disease that kept her from walking. I immediately took off another necklace and insisted that she just take it for her. She was so genuine, and told me that I made their night. At first, I didn’t understand why they were thanking me so much because it was just a necklace, but then I realized it wasn’t because of the necklace, it was so much more. The necklace had a lot of meaning to this family and the little girls; it meant that even though they would probably never walk again, doesn’t mean that they can’t do anything that anybody else can do. They can still dance, enjoy the holiday spirit with loved ones, and be grateful for all of the gifts life has given them. This experience and journey has really opened my eyes and heart to a whole new meaning of life and appreciation. I know I don’t need all of the trendy, new merchandise because I have an awesome support system who would love me whether or not I had the new clothing line, or brand name items on the market today. It is all about the people in your life and how you perceive any situation that creates true happiness, and I am so glad I am finally realizing this important life lesson. I am absolutely amazed with all of the magical moments and memories that I have created and seen. I am going to

cherish every moment that I have left because it is definitely going by quickly! Stay tuned for next week!


What a week it has been. We have officially started our busy holiday season in Disney World! With all of the holidays coming up means a lot more guests in the parks, longer hours, and a lot more chaos to deal with. This past week I worked two 12-hour shifts in a row. The first shift was from noon to midnight working the Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It also poured down rain that night! Our guests were very upset when we had to stop the dancing lights due to weather because the technical team said they would burn out if we continued to play them while it was storming. After that long and exhausting night I worked in Writer’s Stop, which is a little coffee shop at the corner of Streets of America. I love working in this shop, except when I have to close it because the closing tasks are tedious and there is a lot to do to prepare for the next day. We have to clean every coffee maker, wrap all of the baked goods, clean every cookie case, and make sure that all of the food that is expired goes out on time. Even though I don’t necessarily like doing these things, I know they are good for me to do and learn because it sets me up for future tasks that I may have to endure.For my communications class, we are almost done! We have one last project and presentation to complete before we get our certificates. The class has given me a broader look on the concept of corporate communications. I notice myself using specific steps that I have learned in this class to solve and issue or to communicate with a guest. I may not realize it at the moment, but when I go back to review the way everything worked out, I definitely notice a difference in my professional self and courtesy in doing things. I am very grateful to be able to work at this internship in Disney, and continue my education as well. I am becoming a more well rounded person because of all of these experiences! I am looking forward to this busy holiday season!


I’ve had one of the best, but stressful weeks ever. First of all, I worked approximately 53 hours this week, including Thanksgiving Day. It was hard being away from my family during the holiday, but I got to spend it with my work family, and a ton of guests from around the world. I worked in Writer’s Stop on Thanksgiving day, which is a small coffee shop. My role that night was to try to entertain the children that visited us, so I started thinking to myself, well what do all kids usually like to do? How about coloring? Most children enjoy coloring, so we printed out some outlines of gingerbread men, and the children got to color and design their own holiday gingerbread man. After they were done creating their one of a kind masterpiece, I hung it up on the wall for all of the other guests and cast members to see. The children were so thrilled that they actually got to leave their mark in Disney World. This was a blessing in itself to see what just a piece of paper could do. It put multiple smiles on children’s, parents, and of course my face! With

the stress of working long hours, just being able to help one family and put a smile on someone’s face is all I need to get me through the day and week. It’s the little things that matter in life, and it’s amazing to finally see that.

November 30 – December 6, 2015

I got to do something for a family that not only made their day, but mine as well. As I was walking back to my location from delivering a package, a mother, who looked very stressed and worried, stop me in my path. She explained to me how they are visiting with a party of nineteen, but they got split up because they had to wait at guest relations for about 3 hours to try to fix an issue that they ran into with their Magic Bands. The mother also mentioned that they had missed all of their scheduled Fast Passes except for one, which they were heading to at that moment, because of having to deal with guest relations. I feel so bad for the family especially after she had told me they were so rushed to make their last Fast Pass that they forgot their stroller and all of their belongings outside of guest relations. She asked me if their was any way that someone could bring it to her at the show because they were going to be late if they had to go all the way back up to the front of the park. That’s when I offered to personally go to guest relations and bring them the stroller myself. Her eyes lit up and her mouth dropped. She couldn’t believe that I would do something like that for them since we had never met before and it wasn’t my job. After I insisted on doing that she hugged and thanked me multiple times. It may have been out of my way to go get this stroller from the other side of the park to bring it all the way back to the show, but it brought me joy to know that I was appreciated for doing this for them. These are the moments in life and in my job that teach me more about my character and who I truly want to be. I think that these lessons are more important to learn than any book can ever teach you. I am beyond blessed to have these opportunities to grow and learn more about myself each and every day.

December 7 – December 13, 2015

This past week was by far the longest week I think I’ve ever had. Not only did I work over 60 hours, but I also experienced some guest situations that were not always pleasant. Because it is the last year for the Spectacle of Dancing Lights this year there has been a high population of guests in Hollywood Studios this holiday season. These guests also would like to have something, like a souvenir, to be able to remember the Dancing Lights, but we have ran out of all of our remembrance pins and ornaments. We have had a lot of upset guests who often would make rude remarks and comments to us about the situation. Although, I know its not my fault that we no longer have any of this merchandise in stock, I still have to be the person to break the news to these people, who may have traveled very far to come view the last year of the lights. I have learned to not take any rude comments personal because I know they are just making them out of frustration. You must have thick skin to be in the marketing or retail business.

This week was also the Disney College Program Winter Formal. It was more of an eye opener that this journey is quickly coming to an end. I embraced every moment I had to enjoy my time with friends, our lovely Disney characters, and making the most of my night. I captured many pictures of all of my co-workers and friends all dressed up, and I must say, we do clean up well. Not only am I grateful for all of the lessons and important topics I’ve learned throughout this experience, but also I am happy that I have made such amazing connections and friendships with so many people from around the world. I’ve been able to learn and relate to different cultures, religions, and the basic way of life from different views. It’s been a life changing experience. Even though I will be away from my family and friends from back home this holiday season, it will easier to deal with knowing that I have such sweet friends to cherish and share the holidays with. If anything at all, I know I will have life long friendships and memories to carry with me after my college program comes to an end. That itself means the world to me. Here’s to the final weeks of this incredible journey!


I have completed the Disney University Corporate Communications Class! I finished the class with perfect attendance and a 93 percent grade! I am very pleased with myself because I was able to balance the long hours of work with the tedious hours of studying and doing homework for class. We also had multiple group projects, which really allowed us to practice our communication skills to use them effectively. Each one of us had different schedules due to the location and role we have for work, so it was very important to use our time wisely to get as much done as we could in the amount of time that we were all able to be together. I learned a lot about relying on others to get their part of the job done because if you cannot trust your partner to do their part then there is no use in attempting to complete a task together. Without the trust of all of us, we would have never been able to finish or make a good grade on each assignment that we were expected to do. This week I also received a four keys card from a manager who works in the food and beverage department. She noticed how enthusiastic I was at the end of the night, and this was a big surprise to her. She said that her and her family felt like they were the first guests of the day rather than the last ones because we were so engaged with them, and made them feel special even though it was late in the night. This made me feel like I was really making a difference among each guest with my positive attitude during long days and nights. Whenever I feel discouraged, or have a rude guest interaction, I just think about all the smiles I have created for those who have crossed my path. Knowing that I made a difference for one family it all that matters to me. Another co-worker and I also made a magical moment for two little girls and their family while we were working in Tattooine. The girls were dressed up as Queen Elsa and Snow White, but they looked upset, so we asked, “What’s wrong pretty princesses?” They responded with a frown, and their mother explained to us that they were too short to ride Star Tours. Anna and I felt so bad for them, so we tried our best to turn their sad faces back around into smiles. We found some “Celebrating Pins” and wrote a personalized message on each one. We then told

them about the Frozen Sing-A-Long show, and they were so excited to meet Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, that they completely forgot about not being able to ride Star Tours. Their family thanked us, and they went on their way, happier than ever. These are the moments and lessons I will hold onto for the rest of my program and life. I have learned more about myself, and giving to others than I could have ever imagined. This experience has allowed me to forget about myself in a selfish, materialistic way, and focus on the nontangible things we experience throughout our lives. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks bring being the prime holiday season! Much more magic to come your way, so stay tuned for more!


This week has been the most magical, stressful, and busiest week I have encountered yet. First of all, the Magic Kingdom opened at 8 o’clock in the morning on Christmas day, and they hit capacity at the opening time! I had to work on Christmas day, but it was a wonderful thirteen-hour workday. I didn’t even feel like I was working. I meet a lot of guest who thanked me for working, so their family could enjoy the park. It made it all that much better to be acknowledged for my hard work from others. With that said, we also had some unpleasant, rude guests cross our path. The guests who seemed to not care about anybody else other than themselves were quick to make a comment about how long the lines were, and how we should have known there was going to be a lot of people in the park, so we should have prepared better. We didn’t let them ruin the day for us or the others guests though. We were sure to let them know that we were doing everything we could to keep the line moving, but there is simply not much we can do when there are so many people. Keeping the magic and smiles going, I was able to make some guests day by just simply acknowledging them and wishing them a happy holidays. I am blessed to have been able to spend the holidays with some amazing friends that I have met around the world and with all the guests who spend a lot of their money and time to spend this important time of the year with us. Next week will be my last week as a working cast member in Walt Disney World. It is very bitter sweet, but I am ready to see what my future holds, and to be able to share all of my experiences with my friends and family back home!

December 29 – January 4, 2016

Wow! My last week in Disney World has been emotional, exciting, and unforgettable! I had to say my goodbyes to life-long friends, my home away from home, and of course my boss, Mickey Mouse. Throughout this entire experience, I have learned so much about life and myself in general. I have learned that I can do what ever I dream if I just have the courage to pursue and conquer them. I have grown into a mature, strong young woman, and I know my parents are proud. I stepped out of my comfort zone to take on this internship, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I never would have thought that I would have grown emotionally about my life as much as I did. I appreciate so many more things now that I didn’t really acknowledge before. I am blessed to have learned so many

lessons about the real, working world, like how you have to stand up for what you know is right, respect others who are above and below you, and stay true to yourself at the end of the day. I also realized that I don’t have to do everything to make others happy, and that it is okay to do what makes me happy and what is better for me and my future. Each and every one of my fellow cast members and leaders have taught me different things that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I am thankful for all of the long workdays, little sleep, and rude guests I had to deal with because it has made me a stronger, wiser person. I will continue to broaden my views and knowledge about subjects, life, and myself because I want to grow even more than I already have! Finally, I want to thank Columbus State University for allowing me to take on this journey, and represent Columbus, Georgia! I am honored to be able to say I achieved all that I could, and I am proud to share everything that I encountered to show others that they can also have this opportunity if they wish to do so!

Documents

Disney Internship Journal