Kalyn and I participated in the Disney College Program in 2013. To this day, it was still one of the greatest experiences, and truly changing the trajectory of our lives.

We had both applied to the Disney College Program in 2012 and were denied. We applied again for the 2013 Spring program and were accepted! Like many other accepted applicants, we joined a Facebook group to find roommates and make connections. Kalyn and I, and our other roommates, all found each other through this group. We didn’t meet in person until the very first day in the Walgreens parking lot outside of Vista Way. There were six of us total, and we hit it off right away. Kalyn and I decided to be roommates, and the rest is history!

I was accepted as a Character Attendant with Epcot being my home base. Kalyn was accepted for Children’s Activities at the All Star Resorts. We both loved our jobs. Even on the bad days we always left work feeling so grateful for the opportunity to work in the most Magical Place on Earth.

Kalyn’s role consisted of pin trading, hosting dance parties and trivia, and facilitating games and activites by the pool. She can still do Hannah Montana’s Hoedown Throwdown like a champ. The dance parties on the pool deck were her favorite. She would rotate between the three All Star Resorts, and work at the main pools, or in the Food Court if the weather wasn’t cooperating.

My role consisted of keeping the characters safe, ensuring lines moved efficiently, pin trading, and just talking to families! I met people from all over the world. The excitement kids and adults alike experienced when meeting their favorite characters is something I will never forget. I worked primarily in Epcot, with a few rotations to Magic Kingdom. I loved working in Epcot in the different countries, but my favorite was working with Aladdin and Jasmine. I will say, cutting lines once they were full was HARD! People did not take well to being told they could not meet Aladdin and Jasmine after flying across the country and spending tons of money LOL. I always felt so bad! I was basically a glorified bodyguard and I LOVED every second of it.

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The relationships we formed with our roommates and our Cast Member friends was the highlight of our college program. We loved hitting the parks together in the middle of the day in January, when wait times were low and we didn’t have a care in the world. We worked extremely hard, but it really felt like a three-month vacation with your best friends.

We know the Disney College Program is on a hiatus right now, however once it comes back, we would LOVE to talk to and help anyone considering applying! We’ll also be sure to share some of our favorite, and most funny stories from our program in the future.