My Disney College Program Adventures

As the program gets closer and closer I can’t help but notice I’m getting lazier… I’m so excited to go to Disney World, but I’m also so afraid! After basically putting everything Disney related off to the last minute, I can successfully say that my paperwork is filled out, my suitcases are packed, and my spending money is safely tucked away so that it can’t be spent on frivolous things during my remaining days in Clarkston! Why must moving be so hard? 

I guess I probably should introduce myself to everyone here on tumblr since I’m just starting out. :)

            My name is Ashley, I’m 18 years old, I live in Clarkston, Michigan, and I love everything Disney! Like most people, I first visited the Walt Disney World Resort when I was very young. And like many people I’ve continued to frequent the parks, because I’ve fallen completely in love with them. I adore the rides that retell my favorite films, the amazing smells and tastes of the food, and the sense of adventure that comes with staying at their themed hotels. The elaborate firework shows will never cease to amaze me, seeing and meeting my favorite characters will never get old, and the countless memories that have been made there will never escape me. Out of this admiration for the parks I decided during my senior year of high school that I wanted to pursue a career with Disney, because I knew that I would always be happy and motivated to work there. To put this plan into action, I recently applied for an internship given through the Disney College Program, and got accepted for the Quick Service Food and Beverage role for the fall of 2012. Although it wasn’t my top choice, (I really wanted attractions) I believe that I will have a really great time in this role, and am willing to make the best of it.

            I really cannot wait to go to Disney World for the DCP. Currently, I’m in my freshman year at Oakland University and I live with my parents; a situation I’m quite unhappy with. In my high school years I devoted a lot of time to my passion: figure skating, to my jobs: waitressing at Gregg’s Gourmet Cafe, (a small cafe in downtown Clarkston) and folding shirts at Hollister Co., and much less to school. Looking back, I cannot figure out how I managed to incorporate all of those things into my life without going insane. But I also look back and think that I should have put more effort into getting the best grades rather than settling for a mixture of A’s and B’s; a result of skating and working too much. If I had done so, I probably could have gotten into a great college, or received some scholarships. By stating this, I don’t mean to say that Oakland isn’t a good college, but its definitely not somewhere I would have wanted to go, had I known more about the applying-to-college-process; something I had to venture through alone, because of a lack of support and/or guidance from my parents and family members. For the rest of this semester, and for the upcoming spring semester, I’m stuck there, but in the fall I leave for Orlando, and upon returning I hope to earn admittance into the University of Michigan.

               As for my every day life, I’m kind of shy, but talkative around those who know me well. I love hanging out with my friends, running, reading, and playing with my cocker spaniel named Cleo, (after the fish in Pinocchio of course!) Some of my favorite things are vanilla coke, black jelly beans, slushies (Love, love, love them!), the colors purple and blue, Mac Miller songs, and pickles. My all-time favorite Disney movies are Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins. My favorite Disney rides are Splash Mountain, Pirates, and The Tower of Terror. Oh, and I’m a boss at hula-hooping.

I absolutely cannot wait to go to Orlando and participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience! My roomies are so amazing and it feels like we’re already our own little Disney family! Even though it will be my first time on my own, I feel like I’m ready to handle it, and more than ready to start a new chapter in my life! August 8th seriously can’t come soon enough!