They say the first step is admitting...... so here goes nothing
Hi, my name is Tessa; and I am pretty sure that I am one of the biggest Disney lovers out there. Ok...that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I still am happily a big fan of Disney. For as long as I can remember Disney has always been the way to my heart (one of the many...did I hear somebody mention tacos?). Ask my mom, I always used to prance around the house in my ariel dress, or princess tutu...Unless I was naked...Yeah apparently as a kid I loved to run around naked, whether it was at our pool or inside, your welcome for those priceless photos mother lol. Back to the actual story here haha.
If you would have asked younger me where she would see herself when she was in her 20’s, she probably would have told you that she would be best friends with Sleeping Beauty or Ariel (shoutout to the CM’s, and others who know what this means). Although I didn't make it quite to that point, I still am getting to create magic at the happiest place on earth; which is honestly one of the most fulfilling jobs that I have had. Don't get me wrong, I have loved all….well most..of the jobs that I've had; but getting to work for the Walt Disney Company has definitely taken the cake in my book… or should I say grey stuff?? After all, it is delicious...ok that was my poor attempt at trying to make a Disney joke..did it work? (i really hope it did, if not this is awkward for us all).
My Disney journey began, if we're going to be 100% accurate, the moment that I was born (everything that I have done has led me up to this point in my life, hello butterfly effect). But if you would like a more legitimate time frame, then I would tell you that it started my freshman year of college. Before I began school, I had heard of the Disney College Program and knew from that moment that it was something that I wanted to participate in, with my whole heart. Now, I didn't apply my freshman year as I wanted to focus on school and just in general my first year of college. However, throughout the semesters I spoke to my Student Advisor about the program and the pros and cons of it. Now, not every college will give a student college credit for it, but thankfully my school was one of the ones that did. During my sophomore year, I decided to apply for the first time. I had applied that spring in hopes to take part in the fall ‘16 program. By the grace of God, I managed to snag a phone interview. However, after countless months of waiting (and some stress if I may add), I got my rejection email. I’ll admit I was sad, who wouldn't be? But I just knew that it meant it wasn't my time yet. My sister was set to graduate in the spring of 2017 (yes we went to the same college), so this way I was able to spend her whole last year with her (also yes we were apartment mates her last year as well.) With that, I decided to hold off on applying again until the end of my junior year. At this time, I thought I would be graduating in the spring of 2018, so I figured I could miss the first semester of my senior year, after all this would be an amazing opportunity. After months of waiting, I once again received a rejection email. Again, I took this as a sign, enjoy my last year. I could always apply after I graduate. Little did I know that I would be graduating early. Before heading home for the summer before my senior year, my Student advisor had informed me that if I took two summer courses that I would be able to graduate early. Therefore instead of spring 2018, as I had originally planned for the last four years, that I would graduate at the end of that fall semester, 2017. Of course, I jumped on this opportunity, as not only did it save me money in regards to student loans, but it also saved my parents money when it came to paying for school boarding. My last semester, I met some of my best friends to this day (hi Amy, this post is for you as I know you asked me to write about it, and I love you). Even though my senior year was shorter than most, it was amazing in every single way (stories for another time lol). It was also my last chance to apply for the college program. At this time, you could participate within 6 months after graduating (now they have extended it to a year), so I knew that if I did not get in, that my dream of participating in it would end, and I would have to find a new dream, or some other internship. While in my first phone interview with them I feel like I over prepped myself, this one I just went into it. Of course, I was nervous before it began, but I did 0 prepping as I didn't want to psych myself out. Flash forward about maybe a month or so down the line. My sister was in town visiting as we had plans to see Harry Styles that week. I woke up one day and went about my morning routine per usual. As I was standing at the sink brushing my teeth, I decided to check my email….and I screamed bloody murder let me tell you. My sister came running out thinking that something bad had happened, but it was the exact opposite. After years of trying, and hoping for the best - I had finally received my acceptance letter! I, Tessa Zalfen would get to participate in the Disney college program! Needless to say, my sister, roommates, and I all jumped around and did happy dances for the remainder of the day. Not only did I get accepted, but I also got chosen to be one of the select few to work at the Disneyland resort (which is what I was hoping for). Disneyland doesn't accept as many participants, as their program and capacity are a lot smaller than Florida’s. I was part of the 1% of those who had applied that they had chosen. Blessed was an understatement of what I was feeling.
Flash forward to January of 2018, I had my bags and car packed. Family in tow behind me, and was on my way to becoming an Anaheim resident; ready for this new adventure. And an adventure indeed it was (i promise we will get into what exactly I mean by this haha). When I got my acceptance letter, it told us what department we would be in-however we wouldn't find out our actual location until we had our traditions class. I was assigned Food and Beverage, and even though I was no princess (in my eyes I am a queen after all haha), I still was getting to work for one of the largest companies and I was not going to let this pass me by, and not take it for all its worth. The first few days of the program consisted of welcoming parties, moving in, and getting to know people. It wasn't until about the one week mark, that we started getting into the work aspect of it all. When you accept a position with Disney, before you begin your actual job, you go through a few ‘welcome seminars’ essentially. The first one is known as Traditions. This is when you are assigned your location, receive your name tag (brought by the big cheese himself-Mickey) and Disney ID, and earn your ears (which may or may not result in you receiving a pair of mickey ears-spoiler alert it does hehe). With blue ID in hand, you best believe that my roommates and I went into the parks to celebrate officially becoming a part of the Disney Family. The next few days consisted of a few more welcome courses to get us prepped for our Disney journey. The whole traditions week is set up much differently now, but for me (as I was going to be a DCA Cast Member) I took part in the “Our California Story” class, which like traditions, we learned about the history of the park. However, instead of the whole resort, we focused on the history of California Adventure (tour and all). Let me tell you, you gain a lot more appreciation for where you work when you get to learn every little detail on how it came to be, and how it keeps evolving. With all “courses” done, our first days on the job would be approaching. The funny thing was my roommate Saige and I were given the same exact location (which we absolutely loved because we had each other throughout the whole experience). Smokejumpers Grill would be our new home, and yes the first thing we did was google the costumes when we found out lol. After all the welcome courses that Disney University brings you through, you begin your training. For us, it was a three-day process (although for every department, and location it can be and is different). On the first day, you meet in front of the flag pole of Harbor Point and receive your costume. After going to costuming, and finding your right fit, your trainers then take you on a tour of backstage. For those of you wondering what Harbor Point is, it’s where all the CM necessities are pretty much located: costuming, scheduling..you name it, it is most likely there lol. Through the tour, you meet your scheduler (pro tip, become best friends with them), and are shown around harbor point so that you can become familiar with where everything is. After this, you are then taken to your park and location. From here, your trainer(s) give you a tour of your location, as well as of the park. This is to assist you in knowing where everything is; that way in case a guest comes into your location and asks you where the nearest restroom, guest services booth, or place to get pizza is you can assist them and ensure that their visit to the parks runs smoothly. Day 2 and 3 of training is when you actually begin to perform your job duties. For myself, I was (and still am) a food and beverage cashier, the training consisted of learning my locations menu, the POS (point of sale) system aka the registers, and learning how to properly host around different areas of the restaurant, as well being taught our opening and closing procedures - from cash handling to cleaning, and everything in between. Disney has a specific way of how everything is run, so even though I had previous cashing experience, Disney was a whole new frontier in regards to how everything was run (and I loved it lol, honestly it was all so much easier).
The next eight months flew by in the blink of an eye. From fun after-hours college program events to nights out with friends, and work; before I knew it my college program was coming to a close. Even though the program did have its downs (I got into this in my post opening up about my anxiety), it had much more high moments. When the end of your program is nearing, you are given the opportunity to stay on a cast member with the company if you so choose. To me, this was an easy answer as I had already finished school. I had my foot in the door, and I for one was not going to step out of it. The only downside to doing so is that you lose your seniority. Disney bases scheduling off of a seniority system. What this means is that the cast members who have been with the company longer, get scheduling priority over those who are newer. While in the college program, you are given 3 years of seniority, and when it ends your seniority drops to just how long you've been actually working for the company. This means that for me I went from 3 years down to 8 months, so my schedule went from being a guaranteed 30+ hours a week to me being lucky if I even got two shifts or a full eight hour one. I didn't let this stop me though. Do you know how I mentioned earlier to become best friends with your scheduler? Well, that's just what I did. You have the option to call in and pick up shifts if there is any available, and you best believe that your girl was constantly calling lol.
Over the course of the next year, my life, as well as where I was at with the company drastically changed. Do you know how I said that I went through three days of training as a new cast member? Well, I was now one of the select few for my location that got to train those who were just like me. For me personally this was one of my favorite opportunities that I was ever given with the company. Being a trainer isn't an easy feat, but it is an extremely rewarding one. You are essentially the first face for your location that they see, and it is up to you to show them the ropes. I loved getting to see my trainees open up throughout the whole process, and become the amazing cast members that they are today. To me, each one was like a proud mom moment, and to this day they are still memories that I hold dear to my heart; even though I moved on from that location…
I know what you're all wondering at this point. Move on? What does that mean? Did you leave the company? No, I did not leave (cue clueless voice: As if lol). Instead, I received an amazing new opportunity to open a new land, so I took it. I miss my smokies fam with all my heart, but working in Star wars Land I think has been without a doubt the biggest blessing that the company has given me. To be able to say that you opened a new land within the Disneyland resort, or honestly any Disney resort, is a pretty awesome thing if you ask me. The road to it though, just like the program, wasn't an easy one. I went through multiple rounds of interviews, and although I wasn't chosen to go over there as a trainer as I had originally hoped and planned for; I still took the opportunity by the reigns, as this was something that I was not going to allow to just pass by. For those of us that were chosen, we went through quite an extensive amount of training; from history to character building classes and everything in between. Unlike most other sections of the park, while there are stories for us CM’s to build upon and certain phrases that we use to draw guests in, Galaxy’s Edge took those aspects 50x further. With SWGE we were becoming the characters within the story, each of us playing a significant role. For someone who grew up always wanting to be a Disney princess, this was a whole other dream come true; getting to take part in the Star Wars Universe, which (for those who know me) is one of my absolute favorite things ever (huge star wars lover over here. Guilty as charged hehe). I still to this day, even a year later, remember the first time I ever set foot within the land. I would be lying to you all if I said that some tears were not shed. The Imagineers and everyone involved with the creation and execution of building the land did an outstanding job. When you step through any of the three tunnel entrances you are immediately transformed into the land of Star Wars. What I love about SWGE too, is that even though we do feature aspects of the films-especially the more recent trilogy, we are also our own story as a whole. Before opening our gates, no one had heard of the story of Battu; but once they take their transport (that lightspeed trip though haha, it really gets ya) to our land they are immediately engulfed into our everyday Battuan lives and culture. I mentioned earlier that I believe becoming apart of the SWGE opening team was one of the biggest blessings to me, and yes part of it is because of the role that I get to play, and the fact that I love working for the Disney company and creating magic for our guests in general. However, above all else; the friends that I now call my family that I have made from working within the land are by far my biggest blessing. So many of them have positively changed my life in a variety of ways. One of the hardest parts about this quarantine has been the fact that I haven't gotten to see them. Yes, we have our group chats and face time dates. But it definitely is culture shock going from seeing these wonderful humans in person almost every day to going now almost three months without getting to see and work with them. Especially as we are coming up on what would be our one year anniversary, and we don't get to celebrate in Battu together as we all originally planned. From 2 am closing shifts, breathless trips up the stairs to get to our breakroom, inside jokes, popped grain burnings, and everything in between and beyond; I miss it all. I can not wait till the day that we get to reopen our doors and we all get to be reunited again (of course when it is safe to do so). In all honesty, they just need to have a little reopening party for us because let's be honest we all have SO MUCH to catch each other up on haha. Here’s to the droid driving, the arguing with stormtroopers, and bantha milk pouring that we, although we most likely won't ever admit, miss. The Force is always with us, and we will be back to our spires before we know it <3
Although my Disney journey has been on hold these last few months with quarantine, I know that it is far from over. With each passing day, I grow closer to my three year anniversary with the company; and It definitely won't be my last. Now I don't necessarily know where the next few years, let alone months in general will take me; but what I do know is that I am excited to see what God has in store for my future. He has put me on this path, and I have the utmost faith that he will continue me down the right one; wherever that may be. Do I hope that it is with Disney or at least some part of it? Of course, but I also know that he wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. I’m just going to enjoy every moment as it comes, and take each one for all that they are worth. This journey that we call life is just beginning and you are all along on the ride with me.
Here's to chasing dreams, and bright futures.
Stay Healthy and Safe Friends.
Love, T <3
PS. please enjoy this awesome photo from our launch party below
(tbh probably one of my favorite photos of me ever taken)
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