OUR KIDS DO SURPRISE US
One of our Facebook page members posted something today that is not only reassuring to parents of students about to embark on the Disney College Program, but is a great testament to the program. Most especially, it’s a great shout out to our kids and how they’ve grown so much because of their short time in the program.
Too often, we tend to see our kids through clouded visions of “our babies” and, of course, those memories are strong. We make the mistake of forgetting that our job is to raise them to be independent adults. Seeing their success is our success, too. So, when you’re saying goodbye to your baby at Housing, think about this:
My son has been at Walt Disney World since January 10th, and is working his last shift today. There have been a lot more highs than lows. Meeting people from all over the world, making lifelong friends, 46 four keys cards, making memories to last a lifetime, building confidence, and learning how to "adult " while being across the country from everything familiar.
We took a pretty hands-off parenting approach and he has stepped up just like we knew he would. There were some very nervous days for this mama, but the hubby kept me reigned in, and our son is better for it. He stumbled but figured things out along the way.
I just want to reassure the incoming parents that our kiddos are usually capable of a lot more than we sometimes give them credit for. Working for The Mouse has been a great experience overall.
Well done, Mom and Dad. Well done, Alumni.
by Laura Schwartz with thanks to Patti Mickelson
EARNING EARS.....and WINGS!
My Disney internship just ended and I have so much to say about it. Those who know me know I’m not the most confident person in the world. Back in high school I was EXTREMELY shy and, to be brutally honest, didn’t like myself much, if at all. I’ve struggled with painful shyness and anxiety my whole life and only recently have I started to open up to people I didn’t know very well.
When I was accepted into this program, I was given a mere 3 days to decide where to accept or decline this opportunity. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about turning it down every minute of those three long days.
But I am so unbelievably and truly thankful that I decided to give it a try.
My first day in the program, I learned that instead of having one roommate, I would have five, four of whom I knew nothing about and had never ever spoken to. I thought, “That’s it, program over,” because how could I, this shy, awkward weirdo, POSSIBLY survive living with people I don’t know in a place that’s so foreign to my northern home?
Lo and behold, it was actually….EASY?
This program has certainly been a journey, with ups and downs but, undoubtedly, this program has changed my perspective on myself. I don’t just feel better, I AM better. I had some of the best times of my life and I met some absolutely amazing people who changed my life. To be fair, what made it easy was working with the best people and living with the greatest roommates ever.
Long story short – I learned a lot about myself, made many friends and realized my own personal self-worth.
To be honest, I’m sharing my story because I know that there a lot of people who feel the exact same way I chronically felt throughout my life – scared, weak, weird, broken and, overall, somehow less than everyone around me. I have a message to the ‘me’ I was six months ago and to anyone who has ever experienced similar feelings of self-hatred:
You are SO much stronger than you think. You can accomplish things that you literally never even dared to dream you could. People enjoy your company just as much as you enjoy theirs (I know, I know, that’s a crazy thought, right?).
You need to give yourself a break and stop worrying and driving yourself crazy over things you can’t change. Things are so much better than you think; you just have to let yourself breathe for once. I know, life is crazy and the unknown is terrifying. I know you feel like you can’t do it. But I absolutely, fully, 100% in my heart and soul, believe in you.
Make your own path. You don’t have to do what I did (maybe this program isn’t for everyone), but find something that makes you feel the way this program made me feel. I promise you that something is out there and you will find exactly where your heart is meant to be, the place where you feel you belong.
And until you can find a way to believe in yourself, just know that I believe in you.
I encourage every single person who reads this to dare to dream, and dare to dream BIG.
Because in the words of Walt Disney, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
by Christa Pellowe
HELLO GOODBYE
As I write this, it’s check in time for new arrivals and check out time for those who have finished their programs.
The newbies arrive, all fresh-faced and eager to meet roommates, be assigned apartments, go to Traditions, and learn all about working for Disney. Their joy and excitement is apparent and to be celebrated.
With a new check in system currently in place, the waiting time has been cut down dramatically. In 2013, when my daughter first checked in, we waited 2-3 hours for her to complete the check in process and go to Casting to have her role bestowed upon her. After that, race over to the apartment to move in. Today, it’s about 10 minutes to check in, right at the apartment complex at which they’ll be living, then over to Casting that day or next.
Parents are no longer allowed to wait at a parent-designated area during check in. In the past, DCP would lay on coffee and some trays of cookies during the wait. A tour of a typical apartment in Vista Way was given. In more bygone days, the Disney Vacation Club would have someone on hand to provide information (did you know, your CP’s status can render you eligible for a 15% discount if you purchase vacation club ownership while they’re in the program?). It was fun, it offered parents a chance at camaraderie and the answers to questions that no one had previously provided.
Today, we answer those questions here and on our Facebook page. (Yay, us!) When Disney blocked parents from check in, we made arrangements with the Chick Fil A next door, who welcome us with open arms and make us comfortable while we sat and chat and munch away.
That camaraderie is needed. Not because we’re helicopter parents. Not because we’re living vicariously through our CPs. And not because we’re overbearing. It’s because we care. We’re excited. We want to be able to support our CPs. And while that support is certainly needed during the early days’ learning curve, it’s even more necessary at the end of their program, when they come home.
For many, that’s when things get sad, and quickly. It’s called Disney Depression and it’s a real thing.
Reality hits and hits hard when they’re back home, away from the bright lights of the big Mickey. While our CPs are working, and often with busy schedules, there’s a special feeling in knowing that you can go to the Parks on your days off, or before or after work, and experience the Magic every time. Home doesn’t always offer the same thrill, does it? Just think about how we feel at the end of a vacation. There’s a reason the bus to the airport is nicknamed the Tragical Express.
So, as we celebrate the new CPs arriving, have a care for those returning home. Especially those who are suffering from Disney Depression. It will take time, and maybe visits with friends made on the program to keep them going, before they assimilate back into the realities of home, school and real life.
Reality, what a concept – Robin Williams.
by Laura Schwartz
END OF PROGRAM
End of Program. For our CPs, those are the saddest words in Disney’s vernacular. It means they’ve reached their last shift as a Disney Cast Member and the end of their dream of working for the Mouse.
For parents, it means a return of our CPs to home, college and the next step in their journey. For a lucky few CPs, they will have been offered part- or full-time jobs with Disney and will stay on, continuing to make magic.
For one family, however, the Spring 2016 program has changed their world dramatically, unexpectedly and instantly. One CP went to sleep one night and natural causes conspired to fail his wakening the next morning. It was not End of Program for this CP but an end of their world for his family.
As parents, this news caused us to face our greatest fears. We hugged our kids tighter, whether in person, on the phone or via facetime. We send our children into the world hoping for the best. We’ve been accused of living vicariously through our children on the Disney College Program. Guilty! But we want the best for them – and, thankfully, most of us do enjoy the reward of seeing them achieve their very best.
As a gesture of community and love, we present this video compilation created by our Facebook community member, Sharon Costello, that highlights many of our children and their adventures from acceptance into the program, to arrival, performing their roles, having fun and through to graduation.
In posting this video, we honor the memory of William Gracia, the CP whose End of Program arrived too soon. We also offer special remembrance to one of our own group parents, Dan Johnson, who was taken unexpectedly during his daughter’s program.
In the words of the one who started it all, it’s not goodbye but, rather, “See ya real soon!”
--Laura Schwartz