The “college” part of the College Program

I got an email from the College Program today reminding me to look into the "educational opportunities" I may want to sign up for during my time in Florida. I've determined that it's not really worth trying to work these classes into my Cal Poly degree, since I'd have to pay an extra quarter's tuition for them and they won't really count towards my degree. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to take them!


Here are some of the courses I'm interested in taking:

Engineering Professional Development Study
This course is specifically for engineering students in the WDWCP to teach us all about how engineers play an integral role in keeping the resort running, from the monorail mechanics to the Audio-Animatronics technicians to Walt Disney Imagineering! I'm enrolling in this for sure.

Creativity & Innovation: Gaining the Edge
"This course introduces students to the main theories of Creativity and Innovation. Students will learn various tools to promote creativity within themselves and others, processes to increase innovation, how to contribute to a creative team, how to manage creativity and how to establish a culture of creativity within an organization. As a result, students should have greater understanding of and appreciation for the creative/innovative process and be better able to harness and direct those forces for themselves and others."

Exploring Communication Processes at the Walt Disney World Resort
In the last couple years I've been increasingly interested in sharpening my communication skills. I feel that I'm a very strong 1-on-1 communicator, but I'd especially like to improve my public speaking abilities. Maybe this can help me?


Between classes and work, I think I'll stay plenty busy! Oh, almost forgot: I got an email from the director of the Encore Cast Orchestra inviting me to audition in May! I'm really excited that I'll have an excuse to keep playing while on the program.

Preparations Are Underway…

I hope you can handle ellipses, because I might use them a lot through the course of this blog. Just a warning.

I'm getting increasingly excited and nervous for the College Program. Excited to live on the other side of the country for five months, to be taking a quarter off from Cal Poly (though I'll still have some classes in Florida), and to be working in and learning about an industry that I've been enchanted by since my first visit to Disneyland at age four. Nervous about being away from California, my apartment, my friends, my car, my current LIFE for five months. This is big.

I've purchased my plane ticket and will be flying out of Sacramento on Monday March 22. That's like, seven weeks away. I've been thinking a lot about what I will try to take with me on the plane, and what I'll have shipped after I arrive in Florida. I've been fantasizing about a cool job on an E-Ticket attraction in the Magic Kingdom (fun fact: my first choice would be Splash Mountain), and having nightmares about getting stuck with something boring like Honey I Shrunk the Audience or a lengthy script on The Great Movie Ride. Regardless, I think I'll get plenty of knowledge and experience just from being there for so long. I can only hope for the best :-)

I have a few more very intense weeks of school and work ahead of me. To that I say, "Bring it."