Well, I have officially accepted my PI, but I'm still waiting on my offer letter email. Once I get that, I can pay the $100 deposit to secure my housing in Cumberland Park. The recruiter tried to send me the link, but for some reason it wouldn't work. I emailed them, and now I'm just waiting for them to fix it. I can't wait to officially get my offer letter and pay my deposit! It will seem all the more real. But, in the meantime...

So, these 30 days won't actually be consecutive, but I figure doing it this way could work as well. Anyway, on to Day 2....

Friday, September 23rd at around 4:45 pm, I was accepted to Disney's Professional Internship program as a Conservation Education Presenter at Disney's Animal Kingdom!!!!

I was super excited and amazed to get my offer so fast! I had my panel phone interview on Wednesday the 21st, and then on Friday I got home from class to find an email, telling me that I had a form to fill out in order to complete the application process for my professional internship. The form was pretty basic, just basic screening questions about age and background checks. Then, about thirty minutes later, I got a call from Disney! The recruiter on the phone repeated the screening questions I had already answered online just to confirm, and then explained the real reason he was calling.....to offer me the position!!!! I accepted right away, and then he began explaining all the fun stuff- benefits of being a Disney cast member, housing (I'll be living in Cumberland Park Apartments), and pay rate. I'll be moving in on January 12th and staying till June 9th.

I'm so excited to start working in Animal Kingdom and teaching kids about conservation and ways that they can help the environment. To celebrate, me and my boyfriend went to go see Disney on Ice down in Miami at the American Airlines Arena. The show was called 100 Years of Magic, and it was amazing....the scenery, the costumes, the music, everything was so beautiful. I loved getting to see all the kids dressed up as their favorite Disney characters, and watching their eyes light up as Mickey Mouse skated in front of them. It was my first time seeing a Disney on Ice show, and it made me even more excited to start working at the happiest place on earth.

Some pictures of Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic:

To add some meat to this blog, I thought I would start off by participating in the 30 Day Challenge that has taken Facebook and Tumblr by storm! And, speaking of tumblr, feel free to check mine out at http://treasures-untold.tumblr.com/ (end shameless plug).

So, here we go....

Despite the incredibly cliche start, I wish to introduce you to my blog! First, a little intro. Ahem:

My name is Arielle, I'm 22 years old, and I have just been accepted into the Walt Disney World college program for Spring 2012 as a Merchandise cast member! (cue applause). I told myself that I wouldn't start a blog until I was officially accepted, and now here we are! However, as of this moment, I have not yet actually accepted my offer, paid my fee, or chosen my arrival dates.

The reason for this is because I am also in the process of auditioning for two Professional Internships. One is the Conservation Education Presenter position at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In this role, I would be staffing the Kid's Discovery Clubs throughout Animal Kingdom and teaching guests about conservation. This also includes doing fun games and scavenger hunts with younger Disney guests, as well as performing scripted narrations about various wildlife. As an Anthropology major, learning about conservation and the environment is very important to me, and so getting this internship would be a dream come true. So far, I have turned in all my materials and completed a panel phone interview. Now all I have to do is wait.

The second Professional Internship I applied for is Veterinary Medical Records. This role involves updating and archiving medical records about the animals within Disney's Animal Kingdom. As of right now, I have not received any information for this role beyond submitting my application, cover letter, and transcripts, but I hope to hear something back soon.

And so there you have it! I've decided to keep a record of my experiences applying and participating in the Disney programs as a way to have something to remind me of this exciting time, as well as inform people who may be curious about applying for similar programs. I know that, for me, reading (or, ahem, stalking) previous blogs about the Disney college program have kept me sane while I was waiting for the perfect time to apply, so this is my way of giving back.

Hopefully within the next few days I'll have picked my arrival dates and paid my fee. I'm just waiting on confirmation to make sure that, if by some chance I do get accepted for a PI later on, I'll be able to transfer my fee over to that department. Any comments, questions, or insights by any future readers of this blog would be welcome! Thanks for reading my ramblings :)