As my Disney College Program interview draws nearer and nearer, my mind is flooded with things that I want to say. Having already applied for the program before, I want to make sure that I don't mess up my chances now that I finally have the chance to speak with a person. Among the various question possibilities that I have come across, two stand out because I know they will be asked. The first, "Why do you want to do the Disney College Program?" seems simple enough, right? I should know exactly why I want to participate in this program. Well, I do. Sort of. Working with Disney has been a dream of mine for a long time. Not only will the program allow me to work at Walt Disney World for a few months, but it will also allow me to get my foot in the door for future jobs with both Disney and other companies. That's my professional answer. Experience. But the real reason that I want to work for Disney is to make magic. This answer also satisfies the second question, "What does Disney mean to you?". To me, Disney is magical. Its a place where you can forget the realities of the world for a little while, and find your inner child-like joy and bliss again. I want to help people do that. I want to make people happy. Not just children, but parents and grandparents too.
So maybe I should explain what I mean when I say that I believe in magic.
In the summer I am a nanny for a family with four wonderful, amazing kids. While I was making lunch one day, the youngest daughter was telling me stories about Ariel and mermaids and how they were magic, and that is how Ariel became human. The oldest listened in as she told me all about the magic mermaid, and how we could pretend to be magic mermaids too. I nodded in agreement and replied that we could play mermaids as soon as lunch was over. The oldest boy finally said, "But magic isn't real. There's no such thing." The statement made me stop. Of course magic is real, I thought to myself. It's just not in the way that he is thinking of. His sister replied, "I know. I'm just pretending."
Since that day I have done a lot of thinking about that conversation. I believe in magic. Not magic in the sense that mermaids exist and fairies sprinkling pixie dust can make children fly. Magic can be seen in our everyday lives in the world around us. The joyful, innocent, sweet laughter of a child is magical. Someone stopping to help a lady with her groceries at the store is magical. A father taking the time out of his busy day to teach his son to play baseball is magical. Love is magic. Happiness is magic.
One of my favorite memories of Disney World, actually has nothing to do with me or the people I was there with. We were standing in line waiting to go on Test Track. If you don't know, Test Track is a ride where you get to have a viewpoint similar to that of a test dummy in a new car. In the queue line you can look at all kinds of cars that are on display. A father and son were behind my boyfriend and I in line. I observed as the little boy on his daddy's shoulders grew more and more excited as he saw each new car. "Wow daddy, look at that!!" "Daddy, Daddy, look over here!!!" "Wow this is so cool, Daddy!!" Every time, the dad would turn and look at whatever the son was pointing to, and tell him how cool it was, or tell him a little something about the car. I have never seen something so wonderfully innocent and beautiful. At that moment I discovered what I truly love about Disney. That was the moment when I decided I wanted to work there. Because those moments of bliss for that little boy who loved cars, impacted me. It made me want to be a part of something where I could be a part of making children so happy. His excitement and joy was magical, and happiness spreads like wildfire once you get it going.
So, why do I want to do the Disney College Program? Not to sound cliche, I want to make people happy. I want to spread magic. Because I believe in magic.
