by Raazia Hussain

Dear Myriad Readers,

I am delighted to share with you that, as of April 29 of 2012, my role as Walt Disney World Guest Communications Professional Intern was officially changed to Communications Associate. The foot is now in the door!

Photo Courtesy of Staff Writer and SCAD alumna, Raazia Hussain

Let me pause and breathe for a second. Things move too fast here.

A few months ago, I was putting together a quick portfolio between my eLearning assignments and thinking, “I know a company like Disney must be getting a thousand other portfolios.” Then after I got hired I kept telling others, “I surely won’t last longer than the internship.”

In retrospect, I really should work on some positive thinking. Four weeks into my Internship, my manager’s manager asked about my future plans. I thought it was a casual conversation. Many such casual conversations ensued. Here I am, with a permanent place on the team, a full month and a half before the internship was to end.

What is great about working at Disney, especially with my team, is that they listen to me, allowing me to be vocal about my career aspirations and tailoring my role and projects to my liking. I am lucky they wanted me on their team.

My managers, however, feel my success is due to my asking so many questions and understanding the bigger picture before I begin a new project. If you skim through the self­‐praise here you’ll find the lesson in my story. Readers,  there is always a possibility you will get something you had never even dreamed of.