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Writer's pictureMorgan Collier

Inside the magic of the 'Disney College Program'



I know what you may be thinking. Morgan, you keep posting all of these cool photos of your adventures in Walt Disney World, but where are the vlogs!? Well, unfortunately, my computer is having a lot of technical difficulties and I currently am not able to edit nor upload videos. However, that does not mean that I haven't been shooting LOTS of videos for my YouTube channel; hopefully, with the help one of my awesome roommate's, I may be able to get a few vlogs up in the near future.


Now, since I haven't been able to tell you what's been going on in the world of Morgan & More while venturing around all of the four Walt Disney World parks and Disney Springs, I thought I would write my first blog post on my new website. I know there have been several questions about how things are going over here. To give you a brief answer, I LOVE IT!


It has been a dream of mine to work for the Walt Disney Company since I was very young. In fact, I first aspired to be a chef here, and over the years that career path decision has been all over the place, but one thing has remained the same. I want to work for the most magical place on earth.


I applied for the Disney College Program three times before finally getting in, so if you're reading this and you've applied, gotten that devastating 'No Longer in Consideration' e-mail, a word of advice - don't give up. My role that the company offered to me is merchandise, which I was a little wary of, considering my previous experience in retail wasn't the greatest and it wasn't even in my top FIVE choices for roles.


Fast forward to starting my job on Sunset Boulevard in Disney's Hollywood Studios. The first few days of training, I was just shy of miserable. Don't believe me? Ask my mom and dad. They were really good listeners and advice givers during these days. One good thing did come out of training though. During training, I got to meet some of the coolest people that I am now have the privileged of working beside. I'd love to tell you all about it, but that's another blog post for another time. After training, I got to take that lovely, red 'Earning My Ears' sticker off of my name tag and be a cast member. Each day that I go to into work, I get to talk with some of the most diverse people, trade pins with all ages, and best of all, I get to make magic every single day.


What kind of magic do I get to make? It literally ranges from day to day, moment by moment.

But, let me tell you the story of a little girl I got to meet named Zoe. Zoe came into Reel Vogue close to the end of the day with her mom and her grandmother.'Fantasmic' had just let out and the crowds were forming in the stores to make their last few purchases of the day before we closed up shop. One thing that Disney teaches you, is that no matter how many people are

bombarding you with questions, transactions, merchandise, etc. EVERY guest is just as important as the next, so take your time and make that transaction an interaction. I overheard Zoe talking to my fellow cast member who was ringing her up, and when I saw her birthday button, I asked if she would like a sticker. (I have quickly come to find out that children LOVE stickers.) I went out on a limb and asked her how much she liked Beauty and the Beast. I must have guessed correctly when she smiled at me and opened her arms as wide as they could go. I happily gave her a sticker of Belle and Beast dancing, but Zoe looked as though I had just handed her a rare and precious diamond. I got to talking with her and her grandmother while her mom was working on purchasing Zoe's new 'magical memory.' It wasn't too long before Zoe started singing 'Beauty and the Beast' to me. I went around the cash wrap and pulled a bit of receipt paper out, grabbed a pen and asked Zoe for her autograph because one day she is going to be a star. She signed her name and made the 'o' a Mickey Mouse head for good luck with the biggest smile I have ever seen. I dated it and told her that I'm keeping it forever. I slid the autograph in my pocket then walked back around to stand by her, squatted down to her level and continued to talk to her. I told her about my favorite game that she could play on her new iPod touch that she got for her birthday, Disney Emoji Blitz. And right before she had to leave, I told her all about 'Enchanted Tales with Belle' over in the Magic Kingdom so she would be able to meet Belle up close. Not only did Zoe have the biggest smile in the world when she left, so did her mom and grandmother, along with her mom thanking me for talking with her daughter. I don't know if that little magic I was able to make will stay a memory for little Zoe and her family, but I know without a doubt that I am going to remember her and what I was able to do through my role here at WDW.


"There is no magic in magic, it's all in the details." - Walt Disney

- Morgan

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