Changing lives, one cinder block at a time

Hey all!

It's less than a month until I start my job at Animal Kingdom, and I'm sooo excited!

Quite a bit has happened since my first entry. On Saturday, May 14th, I graduated from Juniata with a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Conservation! It was pretty strange to realize that my college career was over, but it was a good four years. I've met some amazing people at school and I know that I'll hold onto those friendships forever. So thanks to everyone that I met at Juniata that impacted my life. :-)

After graduation and all the post-ceremony pictures, my dad, brother, and I went back to my apartment to pack everything into the car. I only managed to forget a few things...including the living room rug. Don't ask, lol. When we finished packing, I returned my key to the RA and took a few last pictures around campus, and then we headed to our "cabin" (aka trailer) at Lake Raystown. It was nicely furnished but pretty cozy for eight people. That afternoon, we had a graduation/7th birthday party for my niece. We had ice cream cake (from The Meadows!!), a campfire, s'mores, and glowsticks. It was good to spend some time with my family, for sure.

On Sunday, we all went home. I didn't have time to blink, because when we got back to Pittsburgh, I had to pack for my mission trip to Philippi, West Virginia. I was heading down there that evening with a few people from my church, some of their relatives, and a few other college students.

The family we were helping out was an elderly woman, Hattie, and her two sons. She had just finished paying off her first house, but it was in horrible shape, so we started the foundation for a brand new house. We collaborated with Heart and Hand, a non-profit organization that helps assist the less fortunate. I'd worked with them on previous mission trips with my church, so I was familiar with the great things that they do for West Virginian families.

Throughout the week, we spent a lot of time mixing mortar (or "mud"), laying cinder blocks, digging holes for pipes, leveling out the ground, and laying gravel for a driveway. Let's just say that I worked some muscles I didn't know I had and I now know the proper recipe for a good batch of "mud." This will come in handy some day when I decide to forget my career with wildlife and become a professional bricklayer. The salaries are probably about the same haha. You can check out a few photos of our group on the Heart and Hand Picasa site here or on my facebook page.

One of the highlights of our trip happened during the first few minutes on the work site. A little 6-week-old stray kitten came walking toward us across a very dangerous road. One of the girls in our group saved him from being potential roadkill, and kept "Phili" (short for Philippi) as a new companion. He definitely provided a lot of entertainment for us, especially when he finally met the Taylor family's two golden retrievers.

That whole week was pretty amazing. I hadn't been in Philippi since I was there with my church as a high school senior. Every time I'm there, the families we help have a lasting impression on me. Despite all the rain, mud (there was A LOT of it), and soreness, I enjoyed helping to make life a little easier for this family.

Clearly, we didn't expect anything in return except a few smiles, but we were blessed to be given a few delicious meals on our last day. The family bought us a feast of KFC's finest cuisine for lunch, and Hattie baked 100 cupcakes for us. How sweet. Then, a Heart and Hand employee invited us to her house for an AMAZING dinner. I love West Virginians. They're so welcoming and friendly. I hope I can go back again someday and help change the lives of another family.

Since I returned from my trip on Friday, I've mostly been catching up on sleep and cleaning my room. It feels surprisingly good to throw out things I've held onto since high school. I know that I have to move on and start a new chapter in my life, and this is the first step. Soon it will be "Goodbye, Ohio Township" and "Hello, Orlando!"

Alright, well I'm going to head to bed. I'll keep y'all updated on anything exciting that happens in the next few weeks. Night!

-Alison

Accepted!!!

Hey everyone!

Thanks for checking out my blog! As you all hopefully know, after I graduate from Juniata, I will be heading to Disney World for six months (or maybe longer). I accepted a professional internship (PI) as a Conservation Education Presenter in Animal Kingdom from June to January! I am so stoked to get down there and work at the happiest place on earth!

I figure that this will be a pretty amazing experience, so once I move to Florida, I'll be updating you every so often on my new post-college life and my awesome internship. I'll hopefully be posting a few pictures, too. For now, though, I'll inform you about how I was offered this great opportunity.

In January, I was really stressed out because I was scrambling to apply for jobs and turn in applications. I asked my friends and family for some suggestions about possible jobs. My cousin's wife, Maria, suggested that I apply to Animal Kingdom. Why didn't I think of that before?! How cool would it be to work there?! So about a month later, I sent in my application for the Conservation Education Presenter position. A few days later, I heard back from the Animal Programs department. They had me answer 3 or 4 standard questions and attach my resume, transcript, and cover letter.

Within a few more days, I heard from one of the intern coordinators, and she wanted to set up a panel phone interview!!! I was so excited, I could barely contain myself. I did a bunch of research and found a list of past interview questions for my same position. I also got some helpful advice from Nicole, who I knew from my internship at the National Aviary. She had worked for Disney, so she told me exactly what to expect.

My interview was on March 3rd, and I was incredibly nervous. I left class early so I could concentrate on the most important phone call of my life. When the panel of two women called, they asked the exact questions I had typed up. I just tried to sound like I wasn't reading my answers directly off of my paper. I think I definitely told them what they wanted to hear. The twenty-minute conversation went really well, and they told me that all of the positions would be decided by April 30th. So, I didn't expect to hear anything for a while. I was just really glad that it was over with.

I decided to put away the job applications for a bit, because the next day I was heading to Florida for a spring break trip with a bunch of classmates. On the 9th, we were driving back to our campsite in the Everglades, when I turned on my phone, and within a minute, I received a call from a number I didn't recognize. It was Michelle from Animal Programs!!!! She told me that they had tried to email me but I hadn't responded. Then, the signal cut out and I lost the call. I freaked out. Luckily, she called back and she asked if I was still interested in a Disney internship. UMM, YES!!!!!! I apologized because I hadn't had internet access the past few days. She then told me she wanted to set up a second interview!!! I was so surprised--it was one of the happiest days of my life. It couldn't get any better. I was like a little kid on Christmas.

When I got back to Juniata, I immediately set up my interview for March 16th. It was a much shorter conversation. Michelle asked if I was available from June to January, if I could provide my own transportation, if I was still enrolled in college, etc. Then at the end, she offered me the position as a Conservation Education Presenter, and I GLADLY accepted!!! So within two months of applying, I officially figured out my future after college...

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!

I've always wanted to say that...just like all the Super Bowl MVPs.

Since then, I've received several novel-length emails about my job, housing, and "The Disney Look." I also got the infamous "red folder" that they send to PI's. However, the info it contains is a bunch of stuff I know already.

Apparently there are over 600 applicants for professional internships, so I'm very lucky to have gotten a position. It's a little overwhelming, but all very exciting. From June 23rd to January 7th, I will be an employee of freakin' Disney World! I get to teach little kids about animals and conservation and wear a sweet safari-esque uniform. I honestly don't know many details about what I'll be doing on a day-to-day basis, but I'll learn all of that during orientation when I get to Orlando.

Also, I've recently been talking to some people on the facebook group for Disney interns. I've already found some friends that like ultimate frisbee, hockey, and country music. I think I'll get along just fine with my fellow interns. :-)

Just FOUR days until graduation and 38 days until I leave for Disney! This is surreal. Goodbye, Juniata; hello, real world!

Alright, time to get some shut-eye. The next time I blog, I'll be a Juniata alumna!

Night!

-Alison