Where it All Began

"Children have definitive purpose about who they will become by the time they are 9 years old."- Dr. Shefali Tsabary

That was the exact age I was when I first became enchanted by "the indescribable Disney magic".

Like most students who go to college in Florida, I am originally from the northeast, more precisely Hanover, PA (known as the "Snack Food Capital of the World"). I grew up your typical "girl next door" with hardworking parents and a pesky little brother. My Dad is a third generation car's salesman, my mother a librarian assistant at our local school district. Most of my early childhood days were spent in the back of a classic Camaro or Corvette, usually strapped to a car seat passed out, despite the loud roar of the old engines.

With my Dad being a car salesman and owning his own business, money was always "tight". It was every Christmas my brother and I heard, "Now, don't expect much this year, your father has sold many cars this month". While at the time I would have liked to have been given anything I wanted, but little did I know then that  this "tightness of money" is what ignited an every growing drive in me (which some now say is what sets me apart from most people in my generation).

Christmas 2003, I was in fourth grade, 9 years old (keep in mind Dr. Shefali Tsabary's theory on children  above). I remember there only being two gifts under the tree. They were about the size of a small book. One addressed to myself, the other my little brother.We opened the boxes to find a daily Disney calendar. I remember my exact thoughts, "Don't cry Meredith. Don't be selfish. Mom and Dad said it was going to be tight this year". But I couldn't help a well of disappointment form in my throat.

My mother must have read my face, because she immediately told me to flip to May. And there it was. That sentence that every kid dreams of since they knew that Disney World existed.

"We are going to Disney"!

On our trip, I had hundreds of magical moments. I started every park day with chocolate chip pancakes that even I, a die-hard chocolate fan, thought at times were too sweet. I challenged myself to ride all the "scary rides", like Rock'in Rollercoaster, Test Track, and Tower of Terror (which I may or may not have bawled the whole time and vow till this day to never ride again).

But the moment that embedded the constant need for that "Disney Magic" feeling was with Cruella de Vil (not a princess like most other girls at that age) Her ability to seemingly remember me anywhere I saw her, wave during a parade, and her whisper witty comments about puppies in my ear solidified the 'Disney Magic' for me in my heart forever. 

I was hooked. 

On that trip, and any time I go to Disney World, I get that again get indescribable feeling. The just like the one I got during my very first trip at Disney World.

 Money doesn't matter, real world problems are gone, and the overwhelming feeling of the "impossible" being "possible", is overwhelming. This 'feeling' is something I want to share with ALL children around the world. With so many today suffering from life threatening illness, socio-economic setbacks, and lack of resources, many children have never or will never walk through the gates at a Disney theme park or hug a Mickey stuffed animal on Christmas.

I don't want to work for Disney for the money or the perks, but for the joy of helping those kids, the ones who really NEED 'that magical, indescribable feeling', that drives my passion for my dream job and life.

If I could spend the rest of my career putting smiles on children's faces all around the world that are touched by Disney, then that to me is a life well lived.

As I enter my senior year at The University of Tampa, I feel like Secretariat in 1973 rounding the corner for the Triple Crown. Every class, every project, every path I have chosen, was all driven by my desire to work for Disney. Senior year is the final chapter, the most important, riveting, exciting, nerve-racking, memorable chapter. But I am ready to win the race I started in fourth grade.

Best Wishes,
Meredith