I'm a Disney Intern? Part 1

Alright, alright, alright.

So it's May and I haven't written a thing about my Disney Internship. The reason for that is pretty much that I can't talk about backstage magic or any projects that I've worked on before they debut. To that end, I CAN share with ya'll some very generic, yet equally awesome, experiences I've had as an intern at the Disneyland Resort! BUT I would first like to preface these tales with how I got to where I am.

To begin, I landed this internship in the bizzare-est of ways: I had a phone screen back in October with a recruiter for a management intern position at Walt Disney World (where I've always wanted to work) and it went..... REALLY badly. I was a nervous wreck. Hey, it happens! I was supposed to "hear back" in the coming weeks, and of course I didn't hear a thing, so I continued applying to a limited number of Professional Internships (PI's) at Walt Disney World (WDW).

(Sidenote: EVERYTHING at the Disney company has an acronym. It makes things easier -- once you get the hang of it anyway!)

(Side-side note: I've been applying to the Disney PI program since Spring 2015 so this wasn't my first rodeo. And, if you read & recall my last post, this was my last eligible season to apply for a PI so it was now or never! But I digress.)

About a month later I was going to drive from Charleston to Orlando for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend at WDW. And what happens the night before I'm supposed to leave? I get an email from the same recruiter I had my phone screen with referring me to a Technical Director Internship at the Disneyland Resort (DLR) in Anaheim. I was excited, confused, and hesitant to make the jump from what I considered my home park. But the app for this position had closed and they gave me a two-day time slot to apply before the opportunity was gone + it was still my dream to intern at a Disney resort! Cue Hamilton soundtrack and completion of the necessary paperwork!

No sooner after submitting my application, I check my inbox and see the dreaded email: NLIC aka NO LONGER IN CONSIDERATION. Basically what went through my head was something like, "Well, that was fun while it lasted." I was a little bummed and I didn't want to let it affect my Disney weekend, so I put it out of my mind as best I could. It all happened so fast anyway. Could I miss something I never really had my sights set on? I went to bed and the next morning drove to Disney World. Just as I was meeting up for dinner with friends, (that have PI's) I get another email saying that there was a glitch and that I am in fact STILL in consideration! It wasn't even April Fools' Day.

So I had a great weekend with friends, ran a 10k + Half Marathon, and then drove back to South Carolina once the weekend was over. The morning after I get back I receive a call from a 407 number which is the Kissimmee area code. In my mind, it was the hotel calling me to say that I left something important in the hotel room. BUT NO. I DID NOT LEAVE SOMETHING IN THE HOTEL ROOM. It was yet another recruiter asking if I would like to interview for the position! I said UM, YES and then she asked if today or the next would be best to have an official interview with the DLR team. I needed to collect my thoughts, so I said that the next day would be super.

I had my interview with the Technical Direction (TD) team, and unbeknownst to me, the audio design team also was hoping for an intern this season. Apparently, they liked my resume & website (which I'm always very surprised to find out that people actually peruse my page...) And in addition to that, I felt GREAT about my interview for the first time ever! I once again was told that I would hear back in the coming weeks, but this time around I had a gut feeling that this was truly my internship. It almost felt wrong to think that as I was hanging up the phone, like it must be a mistake and I could very well be making a false assumption, but it just felt I was going to get the offer -- and I was right! A week and a half later I got the call and the rest is history.

TLDR; I had a whirlwind application season and was offered an internship that I didn't expect.

What it really boils down to is this: never give up and trust your gut. And as corny as it sounds, what's meant to be will be -- things just have a way of working out. :)

Part 2 is coming soon to a computer near you, and I'll be sharing some of the amazing opportunities I've had as an intern at Disneyland!