Disney College Program

It was so cute.

I actually went into the Disney College Program.

Uh, and while I was in Disney World, I learned how to bartend there.

I worked in all different positions in the restaurant, and bartending was definitely my favorite.

Good vibes only.

So I did Disney college program back in the day.

not back in the day it was like 2021 you guys but uh one of the girls i used to live with um at the time she had a boyfriend and they were like long together a long time today i get a little text from her she's like hey i missed you wanted to give this to you it was a save the date for her wedding you guys this is so exciting and you know what's even more exciting is she's getting married in 2028 And you're like, Emily, why would she send you a save the date if she's not getting married till 2028? Well, let me tell you why.

Because she's getting married in the Philippines.

And I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

So I applied to the Disney college program to just work in Disney for a little while because that seemed like it would be a fun place to spend time.

And it's a random job that they throw you to.

And I got assigned as a safari driver in Animal Kingdom.

I would take a lot of general classes and just kind of bounce around, but I wasn't quite finding anything that I found incredibly interesting.

So a couple of years into community college, I signed up for the Disney College program, which is fantastic.

Basically, where you just apply to work at Disney World for four or five months and they randomly assign you a job and you get to live and work in Disney World for a while.

So I thought that'd be a good break from taking classes and trying to find a direction.

I started my love, well I loved Disney ever since I was a kid and Hannah Montana, but I started filming it because I was living right by Disney World.

And so I kind of was just vlogging my daily adventures and what it was like living by Disney World on the Disney College program.

But that kind of turned into just me sharing my love for anything.

And I realized like Disney Channel and Hannah Montana specifically, it really had a big impact on me.

And it's a reminder that Florida weather is something Disney guests and cast members have to take seriously.

A Disney College Program cast member, Matthew Eric Jenkins, died after being struck by lightning near downtown Celebration on September 8th.

According to reports, people nearby had taken shelter from the rain when lightning struck.

Moments later, Jenkins was found unresponsive.

Jenkins was taken to Celebration Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

What makes this especially heartbreaking is how new his Disney journey was.

His father said Matthew had only moved to Central Florida the previous week to begin the Disney College program.

The official cause of death was still being investigated when the report was published, but the circumstances are a sobering reminder about how quickly a Florida storm can become dangerous.

Back then, I was so young, and I was so n- I had no idea how anything worked, and I didn't really have like a, a path in front of me.

I remember I really just wanted to qualify for the Disney College Program.

[laughs]

What's that?

Mm-hmm.

And so I, a- at 18, I enrolled in college, not to get a degree.

I just wanted to qualify for [laughs] the Disney College Program, which I never ended up doing.

Uh-huh.