April 6, 2011
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68 Days
A re-introduction would probably be the most fitting in this case. Hello everyone, my name is Michael Kuo. I’m a fourth year Accounting and Operations Management student, and I’m going to Disney World.
In 68 days, I will be spending the next six months away from everything I’ve known and starting a new life. The reason I am going to Disney World is I am participating in the Disney College Program, which is an entry level position working at the Parks and Resorts. I will be working in Merchandising. Other than that, I don’t really know what I’m doing down there.
As I sift through my thoughts and try and get everything in order there are a few things that I really want to just get out that I think are relevant as I move onwards with this journey.
I am so excited for this opportunity
Nothing could really make me change my mind about where I am going in life, especially the way that my life has played out over the past two years. If you have been following me for awhile now, you will know that I’ve been struggling to find my professional life for some time now. That passion was rekindled during my time at Chicago Summer Project. As many might have heard, I spent a critical summer from any professional development to serve the Lord and do His work out on the campuses of IIT and CSU. It was there, I discovered how God wanted me to play a role in His ministry. One of the critical moments during my time at Chicago was getting a job at the Disney Store. I didn’t think that I was going to initially enjoy it, but as soon as I started working, I realized these people had something inside them… and it wasn’t anything about religion. But it was just their take on life and how they were able to translate that into work. Also, I just discovered that so many people came from so many different places that I was moved by their stories.
I translated that into my own work and I started seeing how much more evident Christ worked through me while I was at work. While everyone else was being extremely tired and depressed about closing the store, I was just a bundle of energy; making people laugh and smile as I was cleaning up the store. Of course I made mistakes along the way and people had to help cover for my mistakes, but everyone enjoyed what I was doing for them.
I know this is what I want in my life, maybe not exactly work as a merchandise associate for the rest of my life, but I want to be a part of a team that is able to bring that kind of presence into the workplace. Disney gives me that opportunity.
I am so scared for my current lifestyle and future
While I am extremely gun-ho about what is going to happen to me, I also have a sense of fear of the things that I will be leaving behind and the things that are to come.
I have lived in student housing for all of my time while attending Ohio State. During that time, I have also worked as a Resident Advisor and Resident Manager. Needless to say, I’ve climbed the ladder in Housing and I’m at the very top of the ladder. Granted, I make mistakes in this job as well and I have some rough times that I experience, but I truly am glad for the experiences that Housing has given me and am extremely scared to look into the future and leave the life that I have behind. Part of it all is that kind of growing up experience that I don’t really want to have. But, to be completely honest, I’ve grown up most of my life being pretty sheltered and supplied with everything that I ever needed. So when it comes to having to really make it out on my own for the first time ever… I find it hard to imagine and I think it’s just scary to see what kind of life I can really live.
That’s really all I can think of right now. This took two hours, amazingly. I will be posting thoughts and ideas for the remainder of the quarter and just be updating what’s going on before I head down some thousand miles south…
This should be an experience of a lifetime.
