Posted on by Karissa

Some Advise for the Grads

First of all, congrats! Whether it be high school, college, military or whatever else has graduations, you did it! All of your hard work paid off.

I want to share some of the things I learned over the years, mostly in college, to try to help some of you. Some lessons you will have to learn the hard way, but I hope this will give you an idea of what to watch out for. It will make you stronger, smarter, better. It will hurt, and some of that pain may take a long time to fade. And we all will react to that pain differently. Just be sure to do what is best for you.

Anyway, some food for thought:

  • Try new things. Especially if you are going the college route. Now is the time to find the things you like. Maybe swing dancing or improv. Campuses have a little bit of everything.
  • It is absolutely okay to not know what you want to do and to change your major. I started out as a creative writing major, and now I am a C.P.A. Accounting was my third major.
  • Apply for the Disney College Program! It’s fun. You will learn a lot, and it’s Disney. Do it.
  • Just because it is popular, does not mean that it is your style. Not all of us can pull off feathers in our hair, though some of us tried.
  • Alternate water when drinking! Believe me, it will save you a headache. Always have water.
  • It is perfectly fine to be the mom of the group. Groups need the mom friend for a reason. You will help them survive.
  • Learn and grow from your mistakes. There will be plenty.
  • You will come to realize who your real friends are. Beware one sided friendships, and be mindful of who stays by you when there is a rough patch. Be there for your friends as well. Also, you will be the bad friend to some. If they call you out on it, try to do better.
  • College weight gain is a real thing. Just because it is a buffet, does not mean you need to get pizza and a burger.
  • If you feel like the outcast in your friend group, maybe you need to find different one. Do find a different group if that group does not take your outcast feelings seriously.
  • You do not have to say yes to everything and please everyone. That is impossible. Again, do what is best for you.

My hardest learned lesson was toxic people. I am not a social butterfly- I have a handful of close friends and that’s it. I am mostly an introvert. But, I also felt like I should have had more friends. Been more outgoing. Basically be not me. As a result, I was the mom friend and the outcast of a friend group. I did not start out as the outcast as we were a small group, but the group expanded when I went to my DCP (no regrets there, obviously, because I am now a salaried CM), and I never really got close to the new members of the group when I got back. Those last couple years of college were hell on my mental health as I kept trying to fit in with that group. They did not treat me well, and I did not see them as toxic until I let the fact that I was the outsider consume me. I tried so hard to fix things, when I should have just let them go. Thank whatever god or goddess was watching me when I found one of my now best friends who made that last year fun and bearable. One good friend is worth more than 10 fake ones.

And family members can be toxic as well. Yes, there are different rules to handling it depending on the culture of your family and how easy it is to enforce boundaries. I had A LOT of one sided relationships with family members. And, again, it took a good friend (or several in some cases) pointing out the effect that person had on my health before I realized it. If someone is concerned about you, listen to them. A lot of times you cannot see the toxicity because you are too close. It is a hard lesson to learn without experiencing it. And I hope that you will not have to endure too much pain before you learn what is toxic to you.

So, in conclusion, the bullet pointed list is the general pieces of advise I would give to everyone. The paragraphs after were definitely more personal, but I believe that it is the biggest lesson to learn. You will have to deal with toxic people in school, work, personal life, basically everywhere. And if you cannot get rid of them, you will have to find ways to cope – i recommend having a really good friend on hand to boost you up. And if you try to tell someone they are toxic, be prepared for a world of defense mechanisms and excuses. Not everyone owns their flaws. Own yours.

I feel like this has become a hot mess of me just ranting. So, congrats again grads of 2020. Good luck in your journey, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Posted on by Karissa

Disney College Program- Just Do It!

It’s August which means schools are starting and the traffic is terrible again. However, there is a magical silver lining: applications for the Spring Disney College Program are about to open.

Don’t know what the DCP is? Well, let me tell you a fairy tale:

Once upon a time there was a college sophomore doing her thing. She had just changed from an English major to a Management major and was mostly content with her university life. Then, one day, she heard about the Disney College Program where students from all over the world came together at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland and became part of the magic. The girl applied instantly for there was no question that this is what she wanted to do.

A couple days passed, and she got chosen for a computer based interview. She answered the pretty basic job interview questions of not stealing and always being positive. She put down her top choices for roles within the parks, and then she hit submit. A couple of weeks later she was talking to a recruiter on the phone. They had a fun conversation about Walt Disney World and her favorite parks and activities (she was so nervous, it’s a miracle she was able to speak at all). It was over in five minutes.

Then she waited.

And waited.

Until that fateful day in September when she got the email saying “Congratulations! You’re going to make magic!” (Not an exact quote, this fairy tale is almost six years old) She called her mom and her boyfriend and probably cried for the next 24 hours. She was going to work at Walt Disney World. She was going to LIVE at Walt Disney World. This was a 20 year old dream come true.

I’m going to fast forward a bit to that January. The sophomore had registered for classes that would count as credit at her university and had received her role: Quick Service Food and Beverage. That was all she knew on the drive down to Orlando. She would meet her roommates and get more information the next morning, but she honestly couldn’t care.

Of course, being the magical place that it was, she got assigned to her favorite park: Hollywood Studios (gosh, I miss that hat and Great Movie Ride and the entire back half of the park that is being turned into Star Wars land as I type this). She was going to sell ice cream and pretzels and work some nights at the Fantasmic show. On her days off she could go to the parks with her new friends and enjoy being there without planning every moment of the day.

The girl in this fairy tale won’t lie: it was difficult. The days were long and living with five other people is never going to be perfect. She missed her family (though loved texting them whenever she was about to ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster…. again) and her boyfriend, and they did come down to visit her when they could. She learned a lot and got a lot of sunburns in the process. But she would do everything all over again for the experience, the friends, and the magic. It was the best semester of her college life.

The moral of the fairy tale: APPLY FOR THE DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM. Do it. Even if you don’t like Disney. The experience you get from it is unparalleled. You get to create magic for so many other people on a daily basis, and your own magic does not get diminished. Apply. And if you don’t make it, apply again in January for the fall semester. Everyone should do the DCP. There are no bad roles unless you go into it with a villainous attitude. Just be prepared for the constant homesickness that will plague you once your program is done. That never goes away.