Hello everyone, again. I left off my last post still waiting for news on the Professional Internship front. Well I've gotten news, and unfortunately I was passed over for an internship. But, like I said in the last post, I'm still committed to making the most out of my time down here, so the day after I found out about my er...lack of internship, I took my butt to Casting and applied to a few part-time positions. I applied to stay in my current role, as a Merchandise Cast Member, but I also looked at other roles, namely the role of Character Attendant. I've already been through an informal interview, so now the next step is to go before the heads of the Entertainment department and prove to them that I have what it takes to be a Blueberry (well, the other kind of blueberry). In addition to those applications, I've also spoken to my managers and expressed interest in being considered for a Casual Regular assignment here in Hollywood Hills. In short, I'm working hard to sure up my bases and make sure that once January 3rd rolls around, I still have a job.
While I am disappointed that I did not receive an offer for a Professional Internship, I also recognize that I was up against a great many other contenders, some of which who were just better qualified than I was. Maybe it just wasn't my time, or maybe God is telling me "Katie, you really aren't meant to do that.". I guess only time and more hard work will tell. Like the quote for this post says, I hope that this set back will serve to only motivate me further and perhaps even allow me to prove that I have the drive and determination to succeed. This certainly isn't the end of my Disney journey, just a "Road Closed" sign that I'll have to detour around.
It's coming up on Christmas here and you can definitely tell. Well, not by the weather. I think Florida is the only state NOT experiencing winter right now. But there are certainly more guests coming in everyday and everyone seems to be getting into the holiday spirit. I've mailed my family's Christmas presents home and my roommates and I have already set up our tiny little Christmas tree and decorated it with random things that we could find around the apartment. Here's a picture...

Isn't it pretty! I've also said goodbye to another roommate (Sammie) and welcomed in a new one (Andrea from Peru). I think we'll get along fine. She's a Lord of the Rings fan and we're going to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug tonight at a midnight premiere. Not a bad way to start off a roomies relationship.
I also we very fortunate to receive FIVE complimentary tickets to the 30th Anniversary Christmas Parade filming, starring the one, the only NEIL PATRICK HARRIS!!! It was great fun, filled with cameos by many Disney friends, including this new one...

I'm only a little disappointed that I'll probably be working when the Christmas Parade airs on ABC, Christmas Day. So someone has to record it for me at home! The week of the filming I actually got to see Neil Patrick Harris not once (at the filming), but THREE times! I don't know if Hollywood Studios is his favorite park, but he visited three times during the week that he was here, and seemed to particularly like Tower of Terror. I also happened to be taking my break outside during Fantasmic when he and his family were being whisked away in their Guest Services van. To say I was a bit starstruck would be accurate. But come on, everyone says they would be totally chill until their face-to-face with someone they've only ever seen on television or on the big screen.
With less than a month to go in my program, I'm sort of in this weird flux stage. I know that I'M not going anywhere, but many of my friends are, and so I feel like I need to do as much as I can with them. We had graduation just yesterday and I got my graduation ears!

I definitely like them better than my graduation cap and sort of wish I'd had them when I graduated before! Of course they're getting embroidered. I have to say, I'm not feeling too reflective yet. I guess it's just the looming monster that is "Christmas and New Year's at Disney" keeping me focused only on what's ahead. I went to Magic Kingdom as a guest last night, probably for the last time until after the holiday season. It was just much too crowded again.
I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas (see what I did there =P) and a safe and happy New Year. My next post probably won't come until closer to my program end date, in 2014. Thank you to everyone who has been following my time on the College Program so far. I hoped you enjoyed reading my blog! Until next time...

Well we've hit the mark! It is exactly ONE MONTH until I fly down to Florida and begin my College Program with Disney! Needless to say, I'm SO EXCITED!

There have been all sorts of onboarding things that I've been doing. Forms and booklets to read and acknowledgements to sign, but by far the most interesting has been Mission: Timekeeper. What is it?
Well Mission:Timekeeper is a game which is accessible after you've accepted your offer to join the College Program. It's a way to not only test how much you already know about the Disney Company, but also learn about new things that maybe you didn't. I've played the game through. There is a "Space" mission, and then a "Time" mission. There are worlds that all have different topics such as Walt's Life, The Disney Cruise Line, the parks, of course the characters, and even basic info about the company (i.e. which networks Disney owns and when the company was founded, and even what it's original name was, Hint: It wasn't "Walt Disney Studios") You hop from world to world, learning about each topic through the moons surrounding the world, before you attempt to override the world's force-field and bring it under your control. Right answers earn energy, wrong answers cost it. Pretty simple.
After you've gained control of all the worlds, you're able to complete the "Time" mission. In this section, you take the key clues that you've gained by opening all the force-fields and apply them to different parts of the timeline, restoring the past. You can play the missions multiple times and of course compete for points against your fellow College Program acceptees. It's really interesting because you quickly realize that there is much more to Disney than just the characters. For example, did you know that Disney also owns ESPN? Or that conservation was so important to Walt that he began making nature videos, before it was cool? Don't believe me, look up the "True-Life Adventures" series.
It's really very exciting. As school is winding down (only one more week of classes before finals) I begin to wind up and more and more emails come from the College Program. By now my friends are probably annoyed with me and my parents are at least amused (they don't hear me go on and on about it everyday). Part of me wonders if it will live up to everything I hope for and another part of me thinks it can't possibly. But my friend who has completed the program assures me that it is a wonderful experience. Either way, it's something that I've wanted to do for a very long time and I feel very blessed to be able to do it.
-Katie