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Four months ago, my face beamed with excitement when I found out I got accepted for the Disney College Program. You can only imagine my expression when I also found out that I was selected to be a Character Performer. About two weeks ago, I self termed the Disney College Program. For those of you who aren't aware of Disney Terms, basically- I quit. Here's why.
For those of you who know me, you know that I am a Disney enthusiast. I, myself, never would have thought that I would quit working at "The Happiest Place on Earth." However, I was having a very hard time down in Orlando, FL.
The main reason I returned to Georgia was that I felt God calling me home. I have always been a Christian, however, my spiritual faith got taken more seriously when I started college. I grew a lot. When I moved to Orlando, it stopped. There were a lot of factors that stumbled me. Here are a couple of examples: I didn't have a car to go to church consistently. I would tune into the live streams at my church in Georgia, but it's definitely not the same effect as physically stepping into a church to worship, etc. I also did not have many friends who were Christian. This was definitely one of those moments where I chose my faith is more important than my "dream."
The shifts I got were always dining shifts. At Disney World, Characters appear in parades, shows, meet and greets, and dining experiences. Dining is known to rank on the bottom. It's not the best. Theres a specific rotation that you have to follow ,and people are not always the friendliest to you. It was extremely stressful to me. (Fact: I was always at Grand Floridian)
It's called the Disney College Program, but it's really just taking a semester off and working at Disney World. I took a Disney Leadership class that they offered, and it was only 4 days to complete the course. I came down with the mindset that we were going to be learning about how Disney Parks run things and how they run as a business. I never really had the desire to work at the Parks.
All of this really led to the fact that I wasn't at peace. It's really crazy that I dreamt about the Disney College Program for years ,and it turned out not exactly how I had planned. But honestly, I do not regret doing the program. There were days where I had fun ,and my roommates were great, but I just learned so much in this program that helped me make a lot of decisions for the future.
Today, I am so happy to be home in Georgia. I have been playing an active role in my church, and taking the time to reflect and get back on track. It's also really nice to be home just in time for the holidays. <3
Sincerely, Megan