Annie Proctor

A team of individuals

A look back at what I learned from a year of leading a team of 30 fiercely individual people to recruit and motivate 1,500 other individuals to help a great cause.

At my desk I keep two photos of the 2018 Morale & Recruitment committee. I keep them to remind me of my time with this phenomenal group of 30 undergrads. It reminds me why I stood for the cause. It reminds me of some of my successes as a leader, but more often, and more importantly, it reminds me of some of my mistakes. If I could go back, I would change many of the decisions I made. I would lean more on my committee members and subchairs. I would recognize that delegation isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength and trust that you’ve built a good team.

More than all that, the photo on my desk reminds me to remember the beauty of togetherness and individuality. While we all made up one team, each person reminds me of something important:

Annabelle reminds me of what it means to be a loyal, kind and supportive friend.

Anna reminds me to see the beauty, and humor, of the world the way it is. She helps remind me to persevere, be patient and to stand up for others.

Anne reminds me that it’s important to lead with kindness, empathy and little bit of humor.

Caroline, Grayson and Emma remind me of the beauty of laughter in friendship. They also remind me that no matter how close you are in a group, there’s always room for more voices and more friends at the table.

Caroline reminds me that a little well-placed goofiness can brighten even the darkest of days.

Catie and Kailey remind me to be a loyal and caring friend.

Chandler reminds me to bring energy and passion to everything I do.

Elena reminds me that motivation isn’t always loud and boisterous. It’s also found in quiet moments of sympathetic eye contact across a room of loud morale members.

Elizabeth reminds me to lead with empathy and follow with a hug and a little humor.

Haley reminds me to put people first and to remember the deeper purpose of CFTK or whatever I’m working on.

Hannah reminds me to check my privilege and to speak up against injustice.

Jessica reminds me to embrace who I am and those around me for who they truly are.

Jordan reminds me that a friendly smile, a little laughter and the occasional corgi appearance goes a long way.

Laura reminds me to lead with compassion. She inspires me to give freely and wholeheartedly.

Lexi reminds me to keep an open mind and a strong heart.

Lindsay reminds me to lift up the women around me. She also reminds me that women are strong, capable and incredible beings.

Luci reminds me to persevere when times get tough and to be forgiving of myself when I need a break.

Miranda reminds me to be fiercely and unapologetically true to myself.

Olivia reminds me to make others feel valued and important whether I’ve known them for two seconds or two years.

Rachel Allore reminds me laugh and give to others freely and happily.

Rachel Woodul reminds me to be kind, patient and honest.

Ryder reminds me to speak truth and to make ideas and organizations stronger by acknowledging their faults.

Sydney reminds me that dedication to a good cause is always worth it.

Sara reminds me to listen first and follow with love and patience.

One year after this journey of leadership, motivation, and cause-driven dedication, I continue to learn more from it each day. Thank you to every person who has shown me that leadership isn’t about what I can do, but what we can all do together.

Frozen, but not the Disney movie

Growing up, my family would often eat at a restaurant called the “Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.” It was an exciting experience for my brothers and I because it was the one place my parents would let us sit in the front seat of a ‘car.’ We’d eat our meatloaf or chicken nuggets as a family while and watch a cycle of movie trailers for the first (and worst) sci-fi/horror films play on an enormous drive-in theater screen.

We’d laugh at the ridiculous special effects and acting from the movies, but I found it almost more ridiculous that one character, we’ll call her Sally, just stood and screamed when faced with a ‘terrifying’ monster. It was such a hilariously improbable scenario to me that I thought the director and actor must have lost their minds.

Of course, I couldn’t directly relate to Sally’s situation. In fact, most of us can’t because we are fortunate to live in a world where being slowly chased by a 10-foot-tall alligator-type alien is a rare occasion. Perhaps none of us will ever face that alligator alien, but we will face and have faced many different kinds of monsters.

It’s easy to judge poor Sally, but surely you can remember a time you put off writing a paper or tackling a project because it was intimidating. Surely you can remember a time when you froze because you were afraid.

To be honest, sometimes I don’t write consistently on this blog because I’m frozen in the face of my monster: the fear of not being good enough.

In some cases, this fear comes in handy: it keeps me focused and it’s probably why I pour my heart and soul into everything I do. Too often, however, it makes me so afraid of creating something not-perfect, that I create nothing at all. Voltaire wrote, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” or, as your professor might have said to you, “Perfect is the enemy of good.”

I’m working to overcome that particular part of my fear now. At work, there are often pieces I’m intimidated to write, but I’ve learned to stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and focus on the first few steps. I’ve found that writing seems remarkably less daunting once I put the first word on paper. I encourage you to do the same.

Whatever your monster is, whatever is making you frozen, take a single step forward. If it’s a difficult conversation with a friend, set up a time to talk. If it’s a dream job that you’re not sure you’ll get, start by tailoring your resume for that job. Just take the first step.

I mean it, go do it now. This time last semester, I was a little frozen before applying for Disney Professional Internships, so if that’s your dream, go apply now.

Stay hungry, stay magical and remember: magic is kindness, kindness is magic.

See ya real soon,

Annie

Carolina Blue

Not so long ago, I left North Carolina for the first time. I embarked on a huge adventure: to move to Orlando, Florida to work at Walt Disney World. It had been a dream of mine for so long, I left with wide-eyes that barely looked back to what I was leaving behind.

I had never been too fond of my home state. I liked it, but I didn’t appreciate what it has to offer. I saw negativity, which yes, North Carolina has a lot of. I knew I would miss my friends, but I did not anticipate missing my home state.

I found that driving on the highway in Florida was dreary. In North Carolina, there are trees that line nearly every road. The mountains are just an hour or so away from my hometown and the beach is just three hours away from where I go to school. I found myself calling home and telling my parents, “I love Disney World. Not the biggest fan of Orlando, though.”

I was homesick for the trees, the rolling hills, the mountains, the Outer Banks, and my beautiful college campus. I didn’t know how to express how I felt, so, in typical Annie fashion, I wrote a song. Here it is:

If you’re not from NC, then I should first explain that ‘Carolina Blue’ is a very particular shade of light blue. It’s the school color for UNC-Chapel Hill.

Baking Magic

At 7-years-old, I didn’t know the difference between baking soda and baking powder.

If you have known me for more than a month, you might have tasted my chocolate chip cookies or one of my cupcakes. I hope it was good, after all, I’ve been baking since I was 7-years-old, that’s 16 years of mixing, stirring and folding.

My obsessions have come and gone, but the reason for baking has always stayed the same. When I started baking I mostly made cakes and brownies, then I moved to cake pops for a few years, then moved back to mini cupcakes, then to cookies, and now I’m stuck on pies and pastries. There isn’t much rhyme or reason to what I bake, I don’t always bake things I want to eat. Sometimes, I’m baking to challenge myself. All of the time, I’m baking to share.

I didn’t love baking for the act of baking, at least not at first. My love for baking stems from seeing the joy on someone’s face when they see or bite into a delicious chocolate chip cookie. Sure, cooking a lovely meal and sharing it with friends or family is wonderful, but I’m a college student and I don’t make meals to share very often. I’m usually cooking for one or two. I prefer baking because it allows me to share magic with several friends, family members, even strangers.

Do you want to add some Disney Magic into your life? Bake a simple batch of cookies and give them to friends, to family, yes, even to strangers.

What sweets are you craving? Let me know!

See ya real soon,

Annie

Celebrate Other People on Your Birthday | Consider This

I love birthdays. They’re a great way to tell the people you love most in the world how much you care about them. I used to go all out for birthdays, especially my brother’s because it fell in the middle of summer break.

My birthday, however, has always fallen at an inconvenient time– April 30. It’s in the middle of exams, graduation plans and final concerts. Who can find time to celebrate a friend when times are crazy? Luckily, two years ago, I devised a plan based on 4 key factors:

My birthday is in the middle of exams, when everyone is stressed and in the library
I am an arts and crafts gal who never finds time to do any arts or crafts
I love brightening others’ days
People love sweets and sweet gestures.

With these ideas in mind, I set out to make the ultimate birthday plan: making cards and candy to give stressed people in the library. My birthday guests/helpers could come and go as they pleased since studying was priority #1 that day. After card making, we would deliver them and then go get YoPo*.

*For those of you who are unfortunate enough to not know what YoPo is, it’s the best Frozen Yogurt in the world and it’s found on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

The first year it worked wonderfully, about 10-15 people came and helped me put candy and motivational messages onto colored paper. The best part was handing them out. We slid them on tables and walked away as if we were little finals fairies. It felt great.

Last year, however, it was a bit less successful. Never have I ever felt so lonely. I thought I was doing the cards to give them out, but I learned that a major component of the equation was spending time with the people that mean the most to me. Even though I understood why they weren’t there, it was still hard to shake the feeling that I wasn’t worth a 15-minute study break.

This year, I’m trying to focus on more productive mindsets. I know that its finals and I know that’s a hard time for everyone. I’m not perfect and I have to remind myself that not everything is about me. Yes, even on my birthday. Even if this day can’t be about me spending time with the people I care about, I want to make a difference in someone’s day. That’s exactly what I plan to do.

Birthdays are a great chance to celebrate you, but also a great chance to celebrate all that you can do. For me, nothing makes me feel better than making other people smile. I firmly believe that people should celebrate their birthdays by partaking in the activities that bring them the most joy. Maybe that means sipping tea and reading a book. Maybe that means an impromptu trip somewhere. Or maybe, like me, it means you should take some time to add a moment of happiness to someone’s day. It’s a great way to find some magic in life.

That being said, you should drop by my card making this year! I’ll be on campus (location TBD) with paper, scissors, markers, tape and candy ready to start crafting at 12 p.m. Take a lunch break and take a moment to do something sweet for a stranger. Please share my Facebook Event with potential new friends!

Can’t make it in person? Comment a motivational message and I’ll make sure someone gets it.

What do you do to celebrate your birthday? Let me know in the comments!

See ya real soon,

Annie

Dreams Come True

One of the greatest joys in life is a dream coming true. You can see it on the faces of children when they meet their favorite Disney character or finally get to train to be a Jedi.

As adults, we often stop dreaming. Instead, we set goals. They’re a bit more attainable, practical. Don’t be fooled, we’re still dreaming and wishing on proverbial stars. It’s like Princess Tiana’s father said, “that old star can only take you part of the way.”

Three years ago I started feeling particularly unmotivated. I was a sophomore in college and had just returned from a year on the Disney College Program. All of my friends were a year ahead of me, upperclassmen preparing for their senior year, and I had only just determined a major. I felt out of the loop and like nothing that I was doing was toward a goal.

So, I changed my perspective. I sat in my tiny dorm room in Joyner Hall and looked at Disney Professional Internships. I found one that I loved, printed it and taped it to the wall. I highlighted the skills needed and experience preferred and promised myself that I would try to gain experience in everything before the spring of my senior year.

Flash forward to 2018 and I was no longer unmotivated, but I was about as anxious as anyone could ever be. I poured over writing samples, wanting everything to do ‘just right’ for Disney.

When I applied for the Disney College Program, all I could do was listen to Disney songs, but now I avoided them. My parents, ever the unconditional cheerleaders, told me I had nothing to worry about, but I was aware of the stakes. You see, the issue with setting such a specific dream so far out is that you put all the eggs you want into one basket. Sure, you apply for other jobs, but there’s only one that you really want.

Long story short, I got that internship. Starting this June, I will be the Executive Communications Intern for Walt Disney World. No, I can’t believe it and yes, I am unbelievably excited. I’ll be moving to Orlando to work with the Executive Communications team to write correspondence, make presentations, maybe write a speech or two, and develop communication strategy. I’ll fill you in more once I’m down there.

I want to take a second to thank everyone who has supported me in working toward my dream these past few years and the Executive Communications team at Disney for taking a chance on me. I can’t wait to work with you!

See ya real soon,

Annie

The ‘Accident Waiting to Happen’ Friend

“You were gone for 2 minutes, WHAT HAPPENED???” -my boyfriend last Monday.

We all have that one friend who is always in a brace or always sick. They’re the ‘accident waiting to happen‘ friend. Though you worry about them constantly, they make up for it with their hilarious injury stories and laughable accidents.

They’ve sprained ankles by tripping on shoelaces, broken thumbs in field-day games and almost lost shoulders to the thousand times a day they walk into door frames.

I’m that friend and today I have a story that rivals even their most hilarious injuries.

It starts a few years ago when I realized that every time you flush the toilet with the lid up, a little bit of toilet water sprays out and gets on you and the walls–ew. To prevent myself from getting sprayed, I started a routine: 1. opening the stall door, 2. flushing, then 3. madly rushing out of the stall to prevent ANY of that mess from getting on me (sorry not sorry if that’s TMI).

What does that have to do with anything, you may ask? I got reckless.

The other day I carried on with my routine as usual: open the door, flush and rush. But this time, step 1 failed me. I turned to rush when I saw a thin, gray stall door quickly approaching my face.

Yes, folks, I ran into a door.

Not only did I run into a door, but I ran into that door with such force that my head bounced back and somehow hit the side of the stall.

I walked back laughing with a bloody lip because what else could I have done? I had just walked straight into a door. I found out the next day that not only had I busted my lip, but I had managed to get my third concussion. At least I think it’s my third… it might be my fourth.

I’m not supposed to be looking at screens, but at this point, I’ve broken that rule to look at Instagram that there’s no excuse for not writing a blog post.

I hope my antics keep you entertained. What’s the best injury story you’ve ever heard? Comment below. Tag your accident-prone friend to warn them not to walk into doors.

See ya real soon,

Annie

Working for Disney Will Ruin the Magic

I had countless people tell me this before I moved down in May 2014 for the Disney College Program. Many mistook my bright-eyed excitement for naivete and took to ‘educating’ me on what would happen.

It was as if they thought I was moving down for a vacation and would be rudely awakened when I realized that working long hours in Florida heat would be difficult. They told me I would lose the magic I found in the parks or that I would never see them the same way.

They were right about half of that, I will never see the parks the same way.

When I go to the parks now, I see the doors leading off stage and I know that behind them: a strong stench of food waste from neighboring restaurants, I see guests who are hot or dehydrated taking it out on someone who’s ‘earning their ears,’ I see the cast member working to create magic and I know first-hand how much work goes into putting a smile on others when it’s hard to smile yourself, and I see a thousand backstage secrets and struggles only a former cast member can relate to. But none of that has ruined the magic to me. If anything, it’s strengthened it.

After working for Disney, I have more appreciation for the design, the guests and the cast members of Walt Disney World. Yes, Walt Disney World became real to me, but in the most magical way.

When I go to the parks now, I also see the spot where my roommates and I watched the fireworks on our first night as Disney cast members, I see the spot where I re-enacted Fantasmic when it was ‘rained-out’ for a family that had never seen the show, and I see the spot where I sat and read books for hours while waiting for the Festival of Fantasy parade.

Walt Disney World was already magical to me. It was a place where dreams came true and magic was real. Now, Walt Disney World is so much more. It’s home.

The DCP Facebook Page

There’s a side of Facebook that most people never see. It’s where student Disney enthusiasts gather to dream, gossip, make friends… and frenemies. Groups form around a shared language of acronyms: DCP, WBI, PI, the dreaded NLIC and so many more.

These groups grow to have 6,000+ members. What are these groups? How did they come to be? Three words: Disney College Program.

Thousands of college students age 18 to 70-years-old apply for this competitive internship working at one of Disney’s two domestic parks. How do I know so much about these groups?

I’m on the inside! (Cue dramatic music).

Want to know what it’s like to apply for the Disney College Program (DCP) and be a part of one of these groups? Come with me on a journey into an alternate reality in which you are applying for the DCP. Applying for this experience can be like entering into an alternate universe, so hang on tight.

5+ months before applying

It’s about one year before your possible program would take place and you’re feverishly watching video bloggers on YouTube. Their ‘vlogs‘ are showing you what it’s really like to be on the program and are definitely not sugar-coated in any way. You imagine yourself in their shoes and convince yourself that the DCP is the best thing for a Disney fan like you.

You begin searching for the perfect job. There are dozens of ‘roles’ (jobs) offered through the DCP. Should you put a high interest in Merchandise or Attractions? Low interest in QSFB? The only way to find the answer is through EXTENSIVE research on all roles through blogs, vlogs and your cousin’s friend who did the program three years ago.

Obsession Counter:

% of time spent listening to Disney Music: 70 percent

# of ‘vlogs’ watched per day: 3 videos

3 months before applying

You can’t wait. You randomly search “Disney College Program” on Facebook and your dreams come true. There’s a group called DCP Fall/Fall Advantage 20** and you feel like your prayers have been answered. You join to find hundreds of people that are JUST LIKE YOU. It’s the answer to all those high school years of feeling like ‘nobody understood’ you or your ‘unhealthy obsession with Berlioz from the Aristocats.’ These people get you. You even finish each other’s… sandwiches.

Obsession Counter:

% of time not on Facebook: 0 percent

# of new friends: 542, but maybe more like the three that you messaged…

1 month before applying

The past two months have flown by. You posted a very in-depth roommate survey to the Facebook group which now has over 3,000 members. It took forever to complete and answered essential questions for any possible roommate like favorite Disney park, top three favorite characters and favorite drink. You read through dozens of other roommate surveys to find the perfect matches for you. Now you’re in three group chats that are capital A-active with DCP news and gossip.

Obsession Counter:

# of new followers on Instagram: 54

# of notifications in Facebook Messenger: 1,379

APPLICATION DROP

You turn on all notifications for the Facebook group as you anxiously await the appearance of the Disney College Program application on the company career page. You refresh it every second, but what if you miss something? The Facebook group is an army of 4,000+ people now that are all checking and will alert you when it’s time to apply for your dream. You’re in class refreshing Facebook and the DCP application page hoping to…

wait… it’s happening.

You get a message in your group chat.

You open up the application and fill it out, going over your options one more time.

With shaking hands you click submit, queue up “When You Wish Upon A Star” and begin waiting for your dream to come true.

Obsession Counter:

% of friends and classmates annoyed: 95 percent

# of clicks to refresh pages: ~12,213,478,900

1 week after applying

You’re lucky. You got a WBI (that’s a Web-Based Interview for those of you unfamiliar with the term). You block off 40 minutes to take a 20 minute timed personality test. Even though you knew exactly what was going to happen from the 31 vlogs and 17 blogs you watched/read, you were nervous that you wouldn’t pass. You did. You continue prepping for the phone interview (yes, continue because you consider your whole life in the Disney fandom as preparation for this interview).

Obsession Counter:

% of all DCP content on the Internet studied: 83 percent

# of reminders set about upcoming phone interview: ~3,000

The Phone Interview

It’s one-hour before your interview and you told all your suitemates that they need to be quiet for a full hour even though your interview will probably only last 20 minutes. You have to be prepared for everything. Vloggers have told you to post reminders to smile and notes for your phone interview around the space you’ll be doing your interview in. Now your tiny dorm room resembles a pixie dusted version of A Beautiful Mind and your roommate, who was once annoyed and passive aggressive, has finally accepted their fate and is in the library.

Obsession Counter:

% of room covered in sticky notes: 100 percent

# of passive aggressive looks from roommate: 15

# of minutes spent practicing answers in the mirror: ~3,891,897

2 weeks after the phone interview

You’re panicking, but that’s nothing new. You’ve been checking your email every five minutes since you ended your call with Debbie, your incredibly kind interviewer. You replay every word of each answer to your mom, your best friend, your roommate, your Mickey plush and anything else that might have an ability to listen. You tell yourself not to check your email in class or at work because you know you’ll wet your pants if you find out there and you don’t want a repeat of that one time in third grade that took 8 years for people to forget. You check it in class anyway. Nothing. You give up. “I guess I’ll just be NLIC (no longer in consideration)” you message your group chat with tears in your eyes. Two of them have already been accepted as Attractions.

You anxiously await every acceptance wave that comes out. Oh, look, another one. Is it even worth checking? Why not.

wait. does that say? no… it can’t.

The word is written in an email, but it feels like its being heralded out to the heavens: Congratulations. You scream and ALMOST wet your pants, but you don’t.

Obsession Counter:

% of friends and strangers excited for you: 100 percent

# of minutes times you checked your email: The limit does not exist

# of pants wet: 0 (success!!)

The next steps are for another time. Let me know if you want to read more of the journey! Was there anything I missed about this process? Anything you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments below.

See ya real soon,

Annie

Are you a Real-Life Disney Princess?

A while back, my life-long friend Claire was telling me how she first described me to her boyfriend: “Picture a real-life Disney Princess and that’s Annie.” I laughed it off and went on with my life, but it’s stuck in my mind.

How does one acquire this ‘unofficial’ Disney Princess status and is it a desirable title?

I self-examined myself for a total of 5 seconds before I gave up and took to Facebook to ask my friends how I had acquired the moniker.

Now armed with my super official research, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of what might make you or your friend a real-life Disney Princess.

1. You sing all the time.

There’s a song for everything and everything’s a song. Are you doing chores? You sing. Are you doing menial tasks? You sing. Are you walking somewhere? You sing. Bored? You sing.

It doesn’t matter if you can sing well or not. The songs aren’t for other people, they’re for you. The joy of adding theme music to your life is infectious and everyone can’t help but feel a little happier around you.

Bonus points if you’ve ever said the phrase “I don’t know how to express sadness or anger very well so I like to express it through song.”*

*This is something I actually said once and I now realize why others see me the way that they do.

2. You’re… animated.

Some people talk with their hands, you talk with your whole body. It’s sometimes graceful, sometimes not. Sure Cinderella was graceful, but we’re living in the age of Merida, Rapunzel and Anna. Being clumsy just means you’re a relatable royal.

If you’ve ever reacted to good news with your whole body or had your body language during a presentation described as ‘extra,’ this might apply to you.

3. You try to see the bright side of any situation.

You’re not always positive, but you’re usually the first to mention the bright side of a tough situation. People come to you when they’re sad because they know you’ll listen first and leave them on a positive note.

4. You’re understanding and kind.

You approach conflict by seeking to understand the other side first. Maybe this is because you’ve been through tough times yourself. People probably misunderstood or misjudged you in life. Now, instead of turning against them, you’ve made it a goal to make sure no one else feels that way around you. After all, there aren’t many true villains in life. Most people are trying their best and nobody is perfect, you get that.

You’re kind and you’re proud of it. You try to spread magic wherever you go. To you kindness isn’t an action, it’s a mindset. You’re always trying to leave each person you talk to with a smile.

5. But you still stand up for what you believe in.

Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. You are a strong princess and you won’t take *crap* from anyone. You don’t let people walk all over you, which is surprising to some, but not to your closest friends.

You are strong, confident and kind.

6. You dream big and work hard.

Why dream small when there are so many possibilities? Whether you’ve had one goal since you were 3-years-old or have had thousands of different dreams, you work hard to get to where you want to be and more importantly, you work hard to be who you want to be.

7. You are true to yourself.

In the end, this list doesn’t matter. Whether you’re a princess, a dwarf, a chameleon, or superhero all that’s important is that you are true to yourself. You are your own ‘real-life’ character and that’s better than being a Disney Princess any day.

If you’re still curious how much of a Disney Princess you are, check out this quiz. By the way I only got 61%…