There has to be a Disney chip in my brain or something because I just applied for the Disney College Program...again.

Let me explain because there's a logic here...I swear. I'm graduating college in a little more than a month and a half, and I applied for a few professional internships (See this post for info...) and they said I would hear back in November...well hello November! It's nice to meet you!

I have anywhere from Today (Nov. 2) until the end of November to hear back from the company on whether or not I received a Professional role within the company...so the College Program is a fall-back...a fail safe if you will, just in case.

We had our last campus presentation, and as a Campus Representative it was my very last presentation as a student. So to say I was sad is an understatement, but to apply for the program again makes me even happier...

Now I know what you're thinking...and it's not like I want to go back into Merchantainment with my bachelors degree in Public Relations and Entertainment Marketing, which is why this time around I decided to try something different and apply for a few different roles:

• Photopass
• Concierge
• Vacation Club
• Hospitality
• Character Entertainment
• Character Performer

...yes you read right. Character Performer. I wanted to try something different this go round , which means I will be traveling to Michigan this weekend to Audition. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Extremely. Will I vlog about it? Most definitely. I'm not banking all my hopes on it because performers are cast based on need and height. Based on experience auditioning, I've been told I'm "dead height" (meaning there isn't a constant need for my height range as far as character performers go). So instead of worrying my pretty little head off about it, I'm going with the notion of having fun and hopefully I'll get something out of the process...

In addition I plan on taking a few classes that will help me in the long run like: Exploring Marketing, Exploring People Management, or maybe Corporate Communication and of course, using my networking skills at the Speaker Series and such to a tee that they can't help but hire me after my program is over.

I'm still keeping my hopes up about the Professional Internship but it doesn't hurt to have options right? Except for that my options are with the same company! So yeah I've applied for the College Program for a third time, but honestly...I feel this company is where I belong. If you know me at all, I never shut up about Disney! I love this company and what it has done for me professionally so why not want to continue down the path?

My interview is tomorrow (Tuesday) in the evening and I'm doing everything I can to prepare. I'm not really worried, but there's no sense in not being ready. Plus I'm auditioning for roles I've never had before so it is (in a sense) a completely different interview!

UPDATE (11/3) So for those of you wondering how my interview actually went this is for you. I received my call at around 7:30 (after freaking out mildly cause my interview was scheduled at 7:15) and after apologizing briefly Jan, my interviewer began asking me questions. After being relieved that I was an active castmember (that being she didn't have to ask so many questions) we bantered back and forth about my relationship with the company, why I'm applying for a 3rd college program and my increasing love and dedication to the company.

We talked for about a good 40 minutes about my work experiences on previous programs and why I chose the roles I did on my role checklist. She praised me on my examples and said that I was one of her favorite interviewees because she loves interviewing alumni and current castmembers because of our awesome stories and yearn to stay with the company.

What mostly stuck out to me was that she told me that she saw no reason that I shouldn't be admitted back into the program based on my interview (YAY!) and she "Would love to tell (me) right then about an offer but because (I was) auditioning on Sunday, I would have to wait until after then". So it's safe to say I'm really excited about the next couple of weeks because not only should I hear back from the Professional Internship segment of the company, I might also get a purple folder as well. The is me extremely excited for the weeks ahead.... :)

We'll know in a few weeks time what the future actually holds for me but for now I'll just keep looking to that second star to the right and wishing really hard my dreams continue to come true!

It's 12:46 am and I can't sleep for two reasons.
1) I'm back at home in Detroit. I'm still used to staying up late D-fam. Speaking of whom...
2) I miss my D-fam.

I'm saddened because I didn't get to say goodbye to most of them on account I had to change my flight plans at the last minute. Today was a day of hectic rushing, airport madness, long flights, overpacked bags and exhaustion. Which is strange because now that I'm at home I should be falling asleep in my bed thinking of the awesome summer that I had...

But I can't. I'm feeling so meloncholy! I know I'll be back in October *crosses fingers* but thats too far away for me. I want it to be sometime sooner..lets say...tomorrow? Lets make it happen!

.....

No? Okay time to be a big boy about this then.

Ahem. To those I didn't get to say goodbye to, I apologize but know that you're always in my heart and this summer was nothing short of amazing because of you. You know who you are, mostly because if we shared a moment, even if it was brief, it contributed to the awesome summer that I had down in Disney. You know my contact information and you also know that if we stop keeping in contact, I know where you live so it will be easy for me to come down and make your life a living hell.

Too creepy? Sorry, like I said...it's 12:56am.

I love my D-fam, and nothign will change that. That's a good thing about family. You go your own separate ways sometimes but you can always come back...and they will always be accepting. So to those I didn't get to hug until we couldn't breathe....we'll just have to make the next hug even stronger.

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In other stories, I spent the entire day at Magic Kingdom with Hannah yesterday and it was AWESOME! We pretended to be married (again) and we had the most awesome magic moment ever. Us and my friend Adam who joined us breifly went to Splash to get fastpasses and return later. Hannah wanted to check a size for a shirt so we went inside the store loacted right after the ride. While they didn't have her size, we talked with a castmember named Krisandra who was stationed in photopass at the time. We mentioned we were also castmembers and she asked when we were married. After smiling trying to think of a quick story, she congratulated us and asked if we went on the ride yet. We told he no and that we had fast passes.

Well that wasn't good enough for Krisandra. She told us to follow her. We ended up going backwards up to the exit of hte ride and she got us on the ride without waiting in line! She called it their gift to us! WE were so psyched! And it was the best ride ever. It wasn't too wet or too dry. After the ride she told us to come and see her again for a commerative and complimentary photo. We did such ans asked if we could have two, one to send to our parents (when in actuality it was one for each of us).

Because of Krisandra's kindnessa nd willingness to go above and beyond, we gave her a GSF and presented it to her when we came back two hours later with our fastpasses. Best magical moment ever!

Despite the rain and the fact that I didn't get to see Dream Along with Mickey and Move It Shake It Celebrate It Parade for the last time, my MK day yesterday was successful. To see photos, check out my facebook.

So as I sit here watching late night Disney Channel, remenicing about the past 2 and a half months, I can't help but smile at the amazing people I've met, the enchanting experiences I've had and the fact that I've grown in myself and the magic I've not only held as my own, but shared to the many guests that I have serviced. The Walt Disney World Resort is truly a place where dreams come true, and I will always be blessed to be a part of that.

Like I said before, this blog will continue to be posted in as long as I have something Disney to talk about and lets face it....there is ALWAYS something Disney to talk about. So although my program may be over, I will remember this summer for a lifetime and it will give me something to look forward to in October when I visit and in December when I move down permanantly to my second home. *crosses fingers again*

Have a Magical Night and to those I didn't get to say goodbye to,

See ya Real Soon

So It's 12:30 and I have to be up at 4:00....but I can't sleep. You wanna know why? Do ya wanna?

BECAUSE I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

I literally cannot sleep because I'm so excited.My plane boards at 6:40 and takes off at 7a. I arrive in Orlando at 9:33 and my good frien Caitlin (see my vlogs) will be picking me up. (Saving me money from going Mears) and I'll check in at Vista Way and settle in at Patterson Court (Hopefully).

I wish I had a camera or my computer to document it along the way, but when I get settled, I'll head over to Vista Way Learning Center and blog all about it. I can't wait to get down there after 2 years and continue my career with the Walt Disney Company!

Have a Magical Night and like my boss always says...
See Ya Real Soon! ;)

My last vlog from school and on a Mac...SADNESS PERSONIFIED! Hopefully I'll get that computer I talk about in the vlog for my birthday so I can make sweet vlogs again!

A recent fad going around on the Summer Alumni Facebook group is having cast members who are currently statused and have access to the Hub to find out what their work location is early.

For those unaware, the Hub is a virtual resource that provides all Cast Members with a single source for accurate, timely and

relevant information, including messages from executives, company news, work schedules, information about products and services, tools Cast Members need to perform their roles, Cast discounts and Cast activities.

I haven't had access to the Hub since May of 2007, the last time I was in Florida and on WDW property, and I can't log in again because every 3 months they make you change your password for security reasons. Ergo, I cannot log in and try to see my work location early.

Some people (including myself) have tried getting people who do have access to look them up under contacts and try to see that way if their work status would show. For some of them, they work, for others they don't, and for some they are not even in the system yet. For me, I've had two people try to see if my status shows, and since I am a Campus Representative, it either shows up as "Attractions H/H" or "Campus Representative" ... meaning until they transfer me over (when the season ends), I cannot find out my work location for the summer.

A part of me is relieved, I kind of like the element of surprise - which is one of the reasons I'm rooming blind, I mean unless an awesome roommate potential comes along and sweeps me off my feet (literally) and I change my mind. The day I was on my first check-in and I was told I was working in the Magic Kingdom, my heart jumped out of my chest (literally...it wasn't a pretty sight) and I had the biggest smile on face because of the surprise...

On the other hand, when I go for my second check-in and I get lets say...a resort or EPCOT - two places where working merchandise would not appease me - and they tell me I get one of those areas in Merchandise, I don't want to have my heart sink into a dark abyss and be disappointed the entire summer...I mean don't get me wrong, but once you work at a place like the Emporium, it's pretty hard to upgrade.

But none of that currently matters, because I cannot check my status until they change me over anyway and 20 days is seeming to come closer and closer now, so I'll guess I'll just wait.

What would you guys do? Would you keep trying to see if they put up your status? Would you wait out the storm? Would you contact a old manager friend and pull some strings? Leave your comments below...

Oh! That reminds me...I had a little chat with one of my favorite managers Dwight about a week ago. (Before my computer screen died...sadness) He was very excited that I was coming down for another program (though it may be short) and said he'd try to pull some strings to get me back into the Emporium...so maybe I'm doing all of this worrying for nothing! We'll see in 20 days.

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In other Disney News:

• If you're a fan of Pixar Animation character's turning up in the parks like Wall-E or Remy from Ratatoullie then you'll be pleased to hear (a rumor) that the Pixar logo him/her self will make an appearance in the WDW parks soon. Luxo Jr., the lamp shown at the beginning of all Pixar Films either jumping on the I, or doing something else funny is being worked on right now. Read all about it at TheDisneyBlog.

• As I said in my last Vlog on Friday, I'll be having lunch/dinner with LaurenandMatt from YouTube - however, not in Michigan as I planned...when we get down to Florida we'll have a grand 'ol time in one of the parks or off property getting to know each other cause they're such awesome people!

• There has been some controversy with Disney changing the name and profession of the first Black princess in The Frog Princess scheduled to open soon. Instead of being a chambermaid - she'll be an aspiring restaurant entrepreneur and her name will be changed from Maddy (being too closely related to "Mammy" a common term for Black Female slaves) to Tiana. I plan on doing a blog on this later so I won't focus too much on it here. Just making you aware.

Enjoy your week and make it magical!

- Will

Wow! I make alot of Talky Blogs...I have a problem!

"Hi! My name is Will, and I'm addicted to making Talky Blogs!"

Anyway, I'll get pack to regular posting sometime this weekend... this week has been crazy stressed out with reports and homework and the like so until then, enjoy this next Talky Blog where you'll get a tour of my fraternity house plus some other updates with me and the college program.

23 Days until the best summer job ever!

- Will

Talky Blog interviewing myself so you can get to know me better...plus a few other updates as well...

So I did two Vlogs last night and since YouTube onl lets you put up 10 minute videos at a time, I had to do two (that's right two) videos for you guys! Just updates on what's goig on with me and my program (30 DAYS =P), Shoutouts to other future CP's CS's and Vloggers, and my life as a Campus Representative for my school.

I want to make a questions vlog sometime so send me your questions either here, on the videos or on my twitter --> "@willalphasig".

Stick ound because there's even a Bonus Feature on the second video for you guys featuring one of my favorite characters! Enjoy!

Part One


Part Duex

Happy Sunday!

I figured after the monstrosity that was my Pop Film essay that I posted on Thursday, I'd keep this post short. Big news (for me anyway) is that I've passed the 40 Day Countdown and things are finally starting to come together for me for the summer. I still have some paperwork I have to do, haven't found a roommate yet and I have to patiently wait until after finals to actually get my butt in gear and get things ready for the big move.

I'm kind of sad because the two BG Campus Reps I told you all were coming down with me are no longer accompanying me on this journey. Kelly has a teaching job this summer which she should totally take if she wants to graduate and Tana just told me yesterday she wasn't coming down anymore either...sadness personified. But at least I have Caitlin and all my other friends I've been communicating with through Youtube vlogging...

Speaking of which, my friend Michelle, whom I worked with at the Emporium, is uploading her first vlog today! (She's having trouble because YouTube is being stupid) so once she gets that posted I'll give you all a link.

Finally, someone needs to tell me why I am following Miley Cyrus on Twitter...cause I can't for the life of me. It just happened lol. I even taught her how to "@reply"!

Kay that's all for now, couldn't find a suitable topic to talk about so I thought I'd just update you. This wasn't really that short but shorter than my last post!

Have a magical week!

It's finally April...which means a month and a couple of days until I move to Florida! I did this while I was SUPPOSED to be studying for a marketing exam...so if I fail...its your fault =P

For most of you who didn't know already, Space Mountain at WDW will soon begin refurbishment. Taken from the Orlando Sentinel:

Walt Disney World has filed notice that work is about to begin on its Space Mountain overhaul. The filing doesn’t provide many new details about what’s in store for the iconic Magic Kingdom coaster. But it does say improvements will be made in four areas: Facility, ride control, fire alarm and guest flow.
Disney has previously said the rehab will include installing new track (though the track layout won’t change), a new queue enclosure and a new ceiling. Space Mountain will shut down April 19, just after the Easter holiday. It isn’t scheduled to reopen again until Nov. 21.

This obviously means I won't be able to ride it while on my program. Not that it's my favorite ride, I mean I'm in fear of decapitation or severance of my limbs every time I ride but it's still a classic ride at the Magic Kingdom that I enjoy riding. I fortunately got the opportunity during my Spring Program to ride it with the lights on and see everything that it entails - let me tell you how both exciting and terrifying the experience was! But it was fun seeing all the CP's in the light and how much different the atmosphere was...it's a well known fact that you either want the front or the back to get the most out of the ride!

There are some advantages however. They did mention guest flow would be improved and that would be a major improvement to waiting in that long line that seemed to stretch on into eternity. while the giant meteorites that looked like chocolate chip cookies were ample entertainment paired with the sequenced screams of passengers passing by, the wait for the ride is always long, boring and tedious so I'm glad that will be improving.

Also if a new track is being put in, it might make for a fun ride. Lets just hope they don't do anything stupid like they did with the original "It's a Small World" in Disneyland CA, and input Stitch, Wall-E or any other Disney space-esque character into the ride, because I've already done a post about the stupidity of some of Disney's ideas. See previous post.

In more personal news, 43 actually days until the big move to Orlando! I've started to prioritize and see what exactly I'll need on my first trip down, and started to see if anyone wants to room with my sorry self =P. In being a good campus Rep, tomorrow I'll be calling one of my student's parents to talk with them about the program, they wanted to talk to someone who's done the program before and wanted their input. So that will be fun. I'll start to put together a send-ff party for our students and send them on their way!

But until then..I have a marketing exam that needs to be taken, a Pop Film paper that needs to be written and bed that needs to be slept in.

All that, plus it's GREEK WEEK! =)

Have a magical week!

So I was shaving today and it reminded me of the problems I could have while trying to follow the oh-so-highly-regarded Disney Look. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Disney Look, don't have any problems with my (lack of) hair, fingernails (I bite them), personal hygiene (I shower daily)  and tattoos and/or piercings - mainly because I don't have any.

The number one thing that caused a problem for me on my last program was shaving. During my last program I shaved with a razor every other day to make sure my face was clean shaven.

Now let me get something out of the way...I'm African American (**GASP!/SHOCK!**) and my hair grows differently than other people! It curls and it's hard (almost impossible) to shave completely with an electric razor which doesn't do any damage to my skin. During Check-In Day, I shaved with my electric razor to see what they would say and I thought I did a pretty good job, but they said I could've shaven a little bit more. I did the same one day when I went into work and my manager handed me a razor and told me to go downstairs to shave because I left stubble.

If I shave with a non-electric razor, my skin - while it gets clean - eventually develops bumps where in-grown hairs get stuck because they curl deep into the skin and my skin gets itchy and starts to burn. It gets annoying during my shift to continually rub it - especially if I'm not having  such a 'magical' day!

I tried using rubbing alcohol and and Aloe to rub on my skin and they either didn't help or made things worse...

So I go back in May and I've been conditioning my skin to shave as close as possible with my electric razor and it's been getting really close...I plan on not shaving with a non-electric razor for check-in day and seeing what they say. Hopefully they won't make me shave more cause my skin can't take it!

What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions for me to try? Any 'Disney Look' experiences to share? 

In other Disney news: 

• A New Store in Downtown Disney opened today replacing Summer Sands - it's a trendy (haha get it?) designer boutique that has designers like Roxy, Kidada Jones, Tarina Tarantino. The merchandise they sell here can’t be found in any other store at Walt Disney World.
  

•  The Flower and Garden Festival is happening at EPCOT. This year's theme is "Celebrate Springtime" with 70 amazing topiaries featuring your favorite Disney characters." Although EPCOT isn't my favorite park to visit, it's still nice to walk through and see what they do with all the topiary there it's pretty amazing. Visit my Facebook Album "CP Graduation/Last few weeks of Disney Magic!!!!" <--yes, there are 3 exclamation points...get over it lol 
• The Official Countdown is 53 Days! Getting excited every minute!

In Non-Disney News:

For anyone interested, we raised over $126,000 during BGSU's Dance Marathon for the Children's Miracle Network and St. Vincent's hospital in Toledo, OH! I'm very proud of all my DM'er and for me it's a bittersweet moment because it was my last DM as an undergrad. But I plan on coming back as an Alumni Dancer so we'll see how that goes! I posted a Vlog during Dance Marathon yesterday so check it out below or here!

Thats about it! Enjoy your week and I hope it's magical!

As I sit here facing my computer looking at my Pirates of the Caribbean flag in the background and my many Disney paraphernalia around my room including (but not limited to), many lanyards of pins, a goofy pirate hat, my character autograph book, Stitch (both regular and (Tower of Terror edition) dolls, Campus Rep bag, Disney College Program banner, Mickey Mouse doll, my graduation ears from my last program and many many photos of friends and characters met...i can't help but smile as I internally shout:

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

I was accepted into the Disney College Summer Alumni program on February 20th after one month of patiently waiting for my purple folder to come. The moment I heard about the summer alumni program (which was on the first day they announced it) I didn't hesitate to apply. Partly because I was super excited, and partly because I applied for the Disney Land Summer Alumni program last summer, and they never even let me know if I was aaccepted or not, so I wanted to make sure my information was in on the first day.

My role is Merchandise, and I hope to God that I get put back into the Emporium. As much as I complained about it when I was on my first program, I miss the place. The people, the co-workes, the atmosphere, the rush, the way that people always seemed to ask stupid quesitons , the way that the shop would get flooded after the fireworks, the long hours, the frustrating managers, the painfully uncomfortable and tacky costumes...everything.

More than that, I'm excited to be on this program because I'm using it as a chanse to network. I plan on auditioning for a role with the company after graduation and this would be a great place to start. Although sumemr alumni CP's are not able to attend classes, there are still speaker series available and chanses to network. I plan on taking full advantage of it, making business cards, making contacts, shadowing, anything I can do to get my name out there.

Also I get to see old friends again doign the program with me, this time around, I'm gonna have the time of my life and I'll never forget it.

So you're thinking to yourself...Why do I care?...I mean you're visiting this site for a reason anyway...unless it just to happened to pop up under "I'm feeling lucky" under Google in that case...WELCOME! But ther reason you should care is because you're going to be expereinceing everything I do with me! I plan on making this blog not only so I can remember everyhing that happened leading up to and during my program, but to share it with my friends and loved ones! So suscribe, bookmark, whatever you want to do with this page because I'll be updating it frequently with everything relating to my program, anything Disney and anything particualry interesting relating to those topics lol.

This year the park's theme is "What Will You Celebrate?" It's only March and that quesiton has already been answered for me...I'm celebrating being a castmember at the Walt Disney World Resort once again!!

Who's excited? You're excited!! Heck, I'M EXCITED!!

Have a Magical Day!

- Will

(60 Days)