The Continuing Story of the Adventures of a CM! About This Page:

[graygables]

Hello, all! I decided while I'm "off" to go ahead and start the next chapter in the story. As some of you may know, I participated in the WDW College Program from Jan-May of this year. I was a "Merchandise Hostess" at Dinoland in the Animal Kingdom. It was a once in a lifetime experience and although there were ups and downs and drama, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A little background may be in order...I returned to grad school for a Master's in Management in Jan '08 with the express goal of obtaining a management internship at WDW. I understood that I may have to participate in the College Program first and was prepared to do so. My older 2 DDs were CPs and I was very familiar with the program. In the summer of 2008, the listings for the professional/management internships posted and, to my delight, some did NOT require prior CP participation, so I applied. I was called for an initial interview, then had a second which went very well. The interviewer put my application forward in all 5 areas where I'd applied. Next, it was up to the individual departments to decide whom they wanted to interview. It was a nerve-wracking wait, but finally, I got the email to schedule an interview for Retail Management.

The interview went well, although there were some things in hindsight that I was over (who says, "I adore Disney" in an interview??? ) and the waiting began. The initial few weeks passed with no word and the Facebook group was in full anxiety mode. More time passed and rumors were flying at the same time that the economy was taking a nose dive. Something told me I'd better have a backup plan and fast, so I decided to go ahead and apply for the CP. I was late in the season and very concerned about getting a spot, particulary since I did NOT check off quick service food or custodial. The wait for the Purple Folder was nerve-wracking while also waiting for the call about the internship. Just after Thanksgiving the news came that all of the management internships had been cancelled due to the economy. So many of us were shattered by the news, but I felt especially sorry for those for whom this semester was their last opportunity.

Several weeks after my CP interview, my Purple Folder finally arrived telling me I'd been accepted to the CP in merchandise and we began our new adventure. If you haven't read it and ever get bored, here's the original story: http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...cp-anyone.html

Out of the blue in mid-program, I received a call from the Professional Recruiting office asking me if I would still be interested in a Retail Management internship *IF* something became available. I gave a resounding YES. The professional internships started posting and I started applying for them. Conservation Education, Guest Relations, Learning Center, and Management were among them. I knew ConEd was a longshot as they preference undergrads, particularly in the sciences and my B.A. in English may once again prove useless. Once again, the Facebook Watch started and calls were going out, interviews scheduled, but I had nothing.

On Earth Day (AK's 11th anniversary), I took DDs in with me to play in the park while I worked. Here's the account from that day:

"I was walking in from the parking lot with DDs this morning when my phone rang. It said it was the College Program number so I answered. The lady asked me if I had a minute (um, YES!) and that they were extending me an offer of Retail Management Professional Intern for the June-Jan season. She asked if I was interested (um, YESSSSS!!!) and she laughed and finished the rest of the "spiel" (tattoos, body piercings, car, etc) She said something about their offering relocation assistance, but I told her since I was already here with a lease until January, I probably wouldn't need it (she laughed again, it was a fun conversation!). My only question was WHERE? but she didn't have an answer for me and told me they'd let me know the closer we get to the start date of June 19th.

I have been on Cloud 9 ever since. You can't even imagine the relief of knowing what is going on in my life at least for a little while. The current plan is to go back home for 3 weeks in May/June to collect some more of our stuff, including the dog. 13yo has an endocrinology appt and 10yo needs BFF time and Grandma time, so we'll be doing that.

DDs are SO happy for me and I am SO happy they were there when the call came in. DAK parking lot on Earth Day with my girls, couldn't have asked for a better memory! Oh, and then, I got another call this afternoon asking to set up an interview for the learning center internship, which I politely declined. It was a really great feeling knowing that I had gotten the attention of another department as well. Over. The. Moon."

We are currently back in Ohio for our 3 week break, which I'm regretting to a certain extent. I'm sure once I get back to work I'll be grateful for having had the time off, but for some reason, I have a tendency to not be my best here. It's hard to explain...

We leave again on 6/11 to give us some time to resettle in our townhouse before I have to report to work.

I still do not know my location. I've learned that it's up to the area managers to email their interns, so a few of my comarades do know where they are going, but I'm still waiting to hear.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I'm going to be a manager at Walt Disney World a month from now.

This is my personal branding statement:
Gray is a creative leader who inspires the passionate pursuit of dreams by engaging and encouraging people.
By leading with wisdom and teaching from her experience, she supports her team as, together, we reach for our goals.

To be continued...