Disney Party!!

I was invited to a party tonight for people who were involved with Disney on campus. That's me! At first I almost didn't want to go because I doubted there were really a lot of students on this campus who worked in Disney World. But actually, there was a good thirty people there! It was great!

They had a Q&A session which was good for me because even though I've done the program before I still learned some things. Like the fact that while it doesn't count as an internship credit, it could count as a practicum credit for me. And I can be a campus rep next year and make money!

Most of it was a simple "mix and mingle" kind of deal. I had a nice conversation with this guy Denis who is going to be in Merchandise and when he heard that's where I worked he had a bunch of questions for me. I loved answering questions from people. It made me feel knowledgeable. But he asked one that I had a lot of trouble answering. He asked me, "What was the biggest thing you learned going down there?"

This was hard. If it were a college paper I could easily BS ten things that I "learned."

"Well, I learned a lot about how important diversity is. I learned how to provide magical moments for guests. I took a people management class and learned about managing people at Disney World. I learned to appreciate my superiors. Blah blah blah."

But this guy was seriously genuinely wanting to know if this was an experience where he could expect his life to be changed not only because of the fun he'd have, but because of how he'd learn and grow. It's harder for him to do the program because he's from Hong Kong, China. It's going to actually cost him money because he's an international student. So, what was the biggest thing I learned at Disney World?

I learned a ton of things. But the biggest would have to be that I got to not only learn, but see and experience how a Fortune 100 company runs from the inside out. I watched the organization of the company and how they kept up with checks and balances systems and did guest recovery and enforced their values that they as a company were trying to portray. I observed my managers and determined what worked with them and found what didn't work for some of them. I learned how important respect is within an organization and how respect ties everyone together. Respect for each other regardless of race or even personal issues is vital to running a smooth company and I learned how quickly people can (and maybe should) be booted out for a lack of respect whether it was for themselves or others.

Anyway, I won't stay on my soap box too long, but his question really got me thinking a lot. The party as a whole was fun. I'm super glad I went. And now I have loads of new thoughts and feelings running through my head.

The problem? I still have one exam left.