Guest Relations Acceptance Celebration

My friend Michael and I received our Guest Relations offers on the same day! Guest Relations has been both of our dream roles for years, and I couldn't be more excited to go through this experience together! We had spent the two months after our interviews trying to keep each other sane throughout the process, so receiving our offers together called for some well-deserved celebrating!

Here's a few photos from one of the best days of our lives; one of which I'll truly never forget the excitement and sense of accomplishment that we felt!

An incredibly excited snapchat after getting our offers!!!

Guest Relations Offer!

There's dreams, and then there's lifelong, ultimate, need to achieve dreams. This one is the latter. 

I'd always wanted to be a Cast Member; that was the overarching dream... but I always knew I could somehow make that happen. With a company this large, I knew that with enough dedication, I could become a Cast Member one way or another.

But Guest Relations, that has been a whole other level of dreaming. This specific role has been the one I always envisioned, always dreamed of, and always pictured myself in. Such a coveted and crucial role, in a department started by Walt himself when he saw the need for it in Disneyland. I cannot begin to express how many times I've imagined myself in plaid, and imagined myself being able to make such important impacts on people's vacations. I've been working towards this role for so long, doing everything possible to prepare myself to be the best Guest Relations Cast Member I can be, but not knowing when that time would come.

On April 5, 2016, one of my most solidified and meaningful dreams came true.

Birthday Week

For the first time ever, I got to celebrate my birthday in Walt Disney World! It was definitely the best birthday I've had and the celebrations stretched over the course of a week! Here's some of the fun adventures from the week of my 22nd birthday!

My beautiful birthday button!

Dinner at Be Our Guest!

Professional Internship Networking Event

Tonight, Disney Internships hosted a networking event for all of the Spring Professional Interns. It was located at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. The event started off with a speaker who gave some advice about how to make the most of our internship experience. Then, we rotated throughout tables and got a chance to talk with some of the other interns. It was neat to hear about other people's experiences. I'm very close with the other sales and services interns that work with me, but at this event I got to talk with interns in areas such as engineering, animal programs, and operations. It definitely gave me the opportunity to learn about other areas of the company and see what other interns are experiencing in their roles. Overall, it was a great chance to network with fellow interns!

PI Networking Event at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort!

Park Venue Tours

Today was one of my favorite days of my internship so far! We got to tour all of the convention and event venues at the theme parks! We started off at Epcot, then went over to Animal Kingdom, and ended the day at Hollywood Studios. The venues include events such as fireworks viewing spaces, weddings, dinners, presentations, and park or area buyouts. We also got to tour some of the executive and corporate lounges at different attractions. It was so neat to see all of these exclusive places and learn how they turn different spaces into venues. I loved learning more about how we operate events on every type of scale, and seeing how visions are brought to life. It definitely gave me a better understanding of the process that Park Event Operations undergoes! Events play such a large role within conventions, and no one executes events better than Disney does!

Sorry for a lack of pictures with this post, but I was unable to take any while on the tour!

First Week of PI

My first week of work was wonderful! I felt so welcomed by my team. It was a week full of training, meetings, tours, and meeting new people. The first day started off with tours of my cubicle, floor, and the building, as well as the building nearby that we frequent. We had a lunch with my whole team at Olivia's at Disney's Old Key West Resort, which was so much fun! Then, we took a tour of the convention hotels on Disney property. The rest of the mornings were spent in various training classes. This was when we learned how to use all of the programs for our role. The classes were so helpful in showing us how to best utilize them for our roles. I also loved these parts of the days because I got to become good friends with some of the other interns in the Sales and Services department! Even after just one week, I can already tell that this role is going to provide me with such amazing opportunities. I am so grateful for this chance to grow and learn in such a wonderful department! Here are a few pictures from my first week of my Professional Internship!

Ready for my first day! 

Traditions

Today I had my Traditions, which is the orientation class that every single Cast Member takes on their first day! Even though I had already done Traditions for my DCP, I was still incredibly excited for today! Traditions is such a special experience, and I was looking forward to seeing it from a slightly different perspective this time, having already worked for the company before. I continuously got chills and teared up throughout the many videos that are incorporated into the class, from hearing messages from Walt Disney and Bob Iger, to seeing clips of families enjoying the magic of Disney.

Excited for Traditions Round 2!

Casting

Yesterday afternoon, I had my Professional Internship check-in at the Casting Center! This process was very similar to when I went through it for my DCP, but just as exciting! I did my background check, paperwork, and received my Traditions schedule. I also received the information for my first day of work at the office on Monday. I was so happy to begin the first step in my PI journey!! 

So happy to return to this beautiful Casting Center!

Ready for my Professional Internship check-in!

My Apartment

I am officially all moved in to my new apartment! I am living in a beautiful complex in Celebration, FL, which is a town that Disney built, just south of Walt Disney World. It's only about 5-7 minutes from both Walt Disney World property and my office building! I am living with my friend Cynthia, who was a Vacation Planner with me and now works in a different sales department in the same office building that I will be in!

Here are some photos of our apartment!

My bedroom

Professional Internship Application Process

I am incredibly excited about starting my Professional Internship in less than two months, and I thought I would do a general post about my application experience for anyone who is interested or curious! I will start by saying that this process takes a lot longer than the DCP process, and it is much more competitive. 

When I was on my College Program, I went to a Professional Internships Application Panel. This was incredibly helpful as the PI recruiters went through each step of the process and gave so many invaluable tips. I referred to my notes from that panel many times throughout the application process and I was so glad that I had attended that session! The applications for Spring 2016 opened on August 25th. I applied for 6 different postings, but some of those postings included multiple positions within the application. As I learned from the panel, you are encouraged to apply for as many internships as you would like and are qualified for, but making sure they are all in the same fields is important to show focus within your interests. 

Professional Internship Offer!

Hi everyone!! I am beyond excited to announce that as of yesterday, I have officially been accepted for a Disney Professional Internship, beginning in January! 

I am so excited to have been offered a position in Disney Park and Event Ticket Sales!! This role helps to deliver the Disney level of service while processing sales leads for convention groups and events. I will be working in the offices in Celebration (a beautiful town right across from property)! There are only 2 interns selected for this role, so I am incredibly grateful and honored to have this opportunity! It has always been my dream to do a Professional Internship and I cannot wait to see what this experience will bring!

My congratulations email for the Disney Professional Internships!