As the semester is winding down and summer approaches, I can’t help thinking about where I was this time last year. Instead of finishing projects and studying for finals, I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my time in the Disney College Program was drawing to a close.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Disney has an internship program for college students that allows them to come for a semester and work on Disney property. The jobs aren’t glamorous – I worked in the Magic Kingdom serving up Dole Whip, selling turkey legs and (my favorite) making funnel cakes – but it was definitely an experience that has shaped me and changed my perspective. A lot.

I have heard plenty of people talk about the program and say that it’s a waste of time, that it’s not a “real” internship and that taking a semester off to…