This photo is from October 2004. I had just moved to California at the age of 17 to start school at Chapman University. In September I turned 18 and in October I applied to work at Disneyland. The first time, as pictured, I didn’t make it because I said I wouldn’t work on thanksgiving.

A couple weeks later, I was hired. I spent the next year and a couple months working Fantasyland Attractions. In that same short time I discovered that a film production wasn’t the major for me. I lived in three dorms, Henley, Braden and New Hall. In this short year, I met some of the best and worst people I’ve yet known.

My first serious blog “Adventures Through Southern California” also existed during this time period. The name is based off the classic Disneyland attraction “Adventures Through Inner Space.” I learned what to do and what not to do with this medium and how easy it is to offend people. So really, I learned more of what not to do.

Working almost full time and going to school full time was interesting. I figured out how to time manage. I learned that something you thought you anted to do might not be what you really want to do.

I learned how difficult it can be to deal with situations that you haven’t encountered before. How in these situations you learn how friends can be really supportive, or just destructive. More importantly, I discovered that the only person who can control my happiness is me.

Among complex circumstances and a desire for change I left Disneyland for bigger and better things. A few months later, I decided I just wasn’t yet done with Disney and went for an adventure [that I had wanted to have since being a child] that landed me in Orlando.

I spent six months working at the Great Movie Ride, and no, not on the lego version seen here. There is something to say for attractions that are so grand that you feel like you’ve left reality and are truly in a new world. True, the max 4 mile-per-hour ride system and relatively passive audience turns most people off. You really have to walk through this attraction and explore the passageways and catwalks to truly understand its magic.

From here I spent another six months in Orlando working as a technical photographer. I don’t even know what to call the division I worked for, but at the time it was Worldwide Safety and Accessibility. It was the perfect job for me at the time… I was paid to take photos of and explore the mechanical and show systems in the attractions at Walt Disney World. I’ve literally taken pictures of every attraction at every park there. I know “it’s a small world” better than anyone ever should. You can even see a couple photos I took in the Report on Safety [PDF attack!]. My leader in this position was pretty great too, and she helped me understand the professional environment…as well as the Little Mermaid.

After I completed this internship I returned to Chapman with a new mission: Graduate. Only because I wanted to switch to a Public Relations and Advertising Major I was set back. Then Chapman decided that Freshmen should be permitted to register before upperclassmen. So I was stuck for a few semesters, unable to select the prerequisite courses required to take upper division credits.

In a strange turn of events I ended up interning at Walt Disney Imagineering actually working with some of the same people I used to work with in Florida. A year later I came back as a contractor…and that brings us to today.

At school I’ve completed all of my required coursework, including Spanish. I joined the NSAC team [sure wish I did that before] and we won our district competition with Feel Free. And we are going to Orlando for nationals. Talk about weird connections! I am a semifinalist for a Cecil Award for my Entertainment Marketing project. Even better, I complete my assignment at Imagineering on the 31st and start an awesome internship with Brandtailers, an advertising agency in Irvine.

Next Saturday I’ll be graduating from Chapman with a BA in Public Relations & Advertising. I started at Chapman when the film school was in a tiny building, the library didn’t exist and the football field was actual grass. It’s been a long journey, but in the end I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything.

This is all just so shocking to me. It has been a long journey from freshman to senior.

What I do know is it is only in hindsight that you see how all these seemingly random and ‘useless’ experiences combine to make you, you.

It all paid off after nearly 8 months of blood, sweat and tears.

[courtesy of Zachary Reusing]

I hope to be able to eventually post our amazing book online here. So now that we have won at Districts…it’s time to go to Walt Disney World! Also, check out the commercial we produced!

NSAC feelFREE campaign commercial from Jon Blomgren on Vimeo.

All in all this week is off to a good start.

I went from a 50 to a 90 in Spanish. It’s amazing how much not having to spell things from memory improved my test score. Unfortunately, the midterm will likely be back to the old style.

Tonight we had the second NSAC meeting and it too went well. I’m really excited to be taking part in at least one team before I leave Chapman. The added bonus is the people all seem really cool. Maybe I’ve found a good place to be.

Troy left for Zion this morning and now is out of cell reception/his phone is off. I really would like to be with him. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been somewhere where I was completely unplugged.

Interesting too, this is the first time we’ve really been seperated in a way where we can’t communicate at all. I feel really middle school bringing it up but it’s new to me! Backpacking I really want to do again. I’ve spent too much time here in Orange lately.

At least the rain tonight is soothing.

On a related note this semester, I need to cheer up. I’m lost in a sea of projects and being miserable doesn’t make it any easier. So please, force me out of the house. I want to enjoy senior year as much as I want to do well with these projects.

What do you do to keep your spirits up?