How the Disney College Program Changed My Life
Setting out on this “15 year girls reunion trip” to Disneyland, I’d be remised if I didn’t discuss how we all came together in the first place. I am so excited to gather with this group of 6 other girls that I met during my Disney College Program in Walt Disney World in the summer of 2008.
As I was talking with one of them the other day, I found myself saying “I have no idea how I was brave enough to bail off and do that at the age of 19”. As someone who resists change, and loves the comfort of her own home, I didn’t second guess my decision to get on an airplane and move across the country for an entire summer, not knowing another soul beforehand.
But man, am I glad that I did.
I’ll have to get into the nitty gritty details of how/why I applied for my Disney College Program at a later blog post, but here I wanted to share how deciding to participate in this internship changed my life.
Let me also preface this by saying that our living situation was VASTLY different than it is for the new College Program participants. Flamingo Crossing is the new apartment complex they built for the CPs (short for those participating in the College Program) and it looks freaking amazing.
The 7 of us all lived in Chatham together, and in different apartments, but were somehow brought together (by pixie dust and fate). None of us had the same “role” (Disney jargon for job), but between us there was a mix of merchandise, food service, lifeguarding, entertainment, attractions, and park operations.
Back when I was accepted into the program, they would tell you what job type you’d been assigned, but not precise details until you arrived. For example, I knew I was going to be in Park Operations, but not what park, or what exactly that would entail. If you were accepted into attractions, you would have to wait to see if you’d be working on the Jungle Cruise, or Aladdin’s Flying Carpets (no offense). So there was a bit of risk going into it, not knowing what we were getting ourselves into.
I was immediately thrust into a world of like minded people - if I searched hard enough I could find fellow Disney lovers who were just as excited to be there as I was and I was in heaven. Quickly this group of “Disney Girls” became really close, and we spent all of our free time together.
Disney Girls 15 year reunion, February 2024
From left to right we have Mackenzie (entertainment), Tawni (park operations), Charlotte (quick service food), Maggie (attractions), Sarah (lifeguard), Shirley (food), and Liz (Disney Quest).
Besides making friends, and getting to see how the parks work backstage, there were a lot of things young college interns don’t think of either. First off, the pay was not great… at all. Back when I went, it wasn’t one of those experiences you could have where you’d come home from the summer having made a bunch of money. We barely made more than $9/hr (back in 2008) and our rent was taken out of our paycheck weekly. So there wasn’t much left over after all that.
But I will say this, being able to put Walt Disney World on my resume as past work experience, helped me land two jobs back in the real world once I got home. It always looks very impressive and employers know you must have high work standards to have been employed by Disney. Actually, I still bring it up when applying for new jobs or opportunities and it’s always a crowd pleaser!
Me in my costume, 2008
Another thing to note is that the interns get the worst hours on the schedule. That’s expected right? My job was a little different because we did crowd control during the parades and fireworks, so we were all there at the same time and left at the same time. But some of my fellow Disney Girls had it rough. Some of them had to be to work at 3 AM, or didn’t get off until very, very late into the night. Mackenzie and Shirley were roommates and tell stories about how they were never at home together, ever, because of their opposite schedules.
And don’t forget that Florida is HOT! For those of us who had jobs outside, there were many days we were trying to beat heat stroke while wearing our very thick costumes.
The jobs aren’t always glamorous either. I know Maggie about lost her mind from time to time walking on a conveyor belt at her attraction, and Sarah had her fair share of dirty work to do as a lifeguard out in the summer sun.
I’d always loved visiting the Disney Parks but getting to actually create the magic for other guests, took my fandom to a whole new level. It sparked something in me that hasn’t gone away since. I’m determined that one day I will work in the parks again.
But honestly, I walked away from this experience with way more than I ever expected. Not only can I say that I briefly got to work for Disney and saw how everything is done, but I made some of my best friends that summer. We’ve stayed in touch for over 15 years and make it a point to get together as often as we can. It’s one of those groups of friends that the moment we’re back together, it’s like not a day has gone by.
If you are currently enrolled in college and interested in doing the Disney College Program, I cannot recommend it enough. If you go into it with the right expectations, and an open mind to learn and absorb all that you can, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
And if you’re planning on visiting a Disney Park any time soon, remember to visit my friends at Undercover Tourist (affiliate link) for savings on your park tickets! I’ve used them many, many times and can vouch that they are legitimate park tickets and sometimes huge savings!
