My first trip to Walt Disney World was when I was nine years old. I have loved Disney as far back as I can remember, but this trip brought out something in me that I had never experienced before, a want to work for a company. But this wasn’t just any company. This was the company that granted happiness to millions and millions of people each year. When we left that magical place and I gazed out the window in the backseat of my parents van at the “See ya real soon” signs, my two immediate questions were, “When can we come back?” and “When can I work here as a princess?” Little did I know, eleven years later I would be applying for my first Disney College Program where I would be working as not a princess, but a custodian.

Yes. A custodian. Not a janitor, not some lady who cleans the bathroom, a custodian. A custodian was my first choice when I applied. If you’re stumbling on this blog and have no idea who I am or anything about Disney, you may be wondering why on earth I would want to actually clean restrooms or take out trash or clean up someone’s spilled popcorn. That is because I did extensive research on the program and what the best roles were. I always would tell questioners of my choice before I started the program that this job was the most underrated role in Disney because you do so much more than clean. You interact with guests, make memories, and learn so much about yourself. I know how cheesy that sounds, but it actually turned out to be very true.

I worked at Animal Kingdom, which was the area I requested when I was on the phone with my recruiter during the hiring process. Initially I wanted to work at Animal Kingdom because I thought this was the park that closed the earliest. When we came to Disney in 2005 and 2011, this park closed at five pm, and would usually be cleared out pretty early because it was known as a “morning” park. This was mainly because of the Kilimanjaro Safari ride, which is known to be best during the early hours of the morning due to the animals being more active during this time. Little did I know, this parks hours had dramatically changed. It had now started closing at 8:30, and then 9, and then eventually 10 (I think now it closes even later due to the new Pandora land). When I found this out, I wasn’t thrilled. I wanted to work somewhere that closed early so that I could go to the parks right after work and also have plenty of time to rest. In retrospect, I am glad that it closed later. Longer hours meant more money for me, and the more money the better (Disney food and merch is EXPENSIVE).