This past Monday, it was pretty much an average, snowy day here at Penn State.  I was sitting in on The Nooner, an 80s music program on The LION 90.7fm.  All of the equipment was working properly, so with nothing else to do, I found myself just fiddling with my laptop in yet another futile attempt to connect to the wifi in the HUB-Robeson Center (student union).  My cell phone’s notification light has been blinking it’s green LED for the past two hours in alert of an unread email.  With nothing else to do, I decided to check the email.  I was greeted with the following message:

Dear Colton,

Congratulations! You have been selected to participate as an Attractions Cast Member on the Disney College Program in the Fall Advantage 2010 Season.

…

The chair I was previously sitting on flew back about half a meter and luckily the microphones were off or a loud cheer would have been heard over the air.  I had finally been accepted.  This summer, I’m going to Walt Disney World.

The Disney College Program allows for students from across the world to work in Walt Disney theme parks.  They start doing roles such as attractions, merchandise, PhotoPass, Quick-Service Food and Beverage, Hospitality, Transportation, etc.  During the time they spend working at the Disney Parks, the company offers them countless opportunities to network and to build their resumes.  Students can return later to do professional internships with The Walt Disney Company or to even get a full job within the company.  It’s a great way to build experience and social skills while learning about other cultures, entertaining thousands, and having fun.

I applied to the Disney College Program last semester and, after failing to make it, reapplied early this semester.  In just over a week of doing my interview, I received the invitation to participate in the program and quickly accepted it.  Now to spend the rest of this semester getting things organized for the Disney College Program.  Also, along with many other fellow future cast members, I will be keeping a blog (well, a category) of the entire Disney College Program experience.  You can find the category here.

Now, I’ve gotta work on getting to Florida so I can earn my ears!

Also, THON was this past weekend.  $7,838,054.36 was raised to fight pediatric cancer and to support children with pediatric cancer.  My favorite THON moment would have to be Tucker Haas.