The delectable aroma of greasy, fried food infiltrated my nostrils as cash registers clanged incessantly in the distance. One may think that a scene such as this occurred in a commercial setting, like a mall. In actuality, it occurred at Walt Disney World, a place that thrives on its commerciality but also possesses the secret ingredient that even the epitome of malls lacks: magic. When I visited Disney World last fall, the magic permeated everything: the rides, the food, the restaurants, and the hotels. Even the bathrooms managed to ooze magic from every soap dispenser. Every infinitesimal detail was utilized to its magic-making potential, giving visitors joy to simply be alive and experience Disney World. As I walked down the magical walkways and ate the enchantingly greasy food, I realized that someday I want to make people as happy as I was for those three days. I want to create magic, to make people absolutely ecstatic to be alive. My previously shapeless life morphed into a path with a true goal at the end: to become a Disney Imagineer, one who designs and creates every aspect of the theme parks.
Gladly and proudly I would stroll into the office each morning if I knew that my work was important. I could make someone like me completely happy by immersing her in the Disney magic generations have come to know and love. A career as an Imagineer would provide me with boundless opportunities to utilize my creativity and allow me to dabble in wildly divergent fields, such as engineering and art. Nearly everything interests me, and a job that takes the best pieces of all the careers I am considering and melded them together would be incredibly amazing. I could work with science and math and English and art at the same time, and even use a bit of the French I have learned at EuroDisneyland. Truly, no other job anyone could dream up would fit me as well as an Imagineer.
When I boarded that airplane to Florida, I merely expected a few homework free days. Instead, I came home with a drive I have never experienced before in my life. This drive is an ambition that will keep me striving through the darkest of the dark, the most boring of the boring, and the brightest of the bright. Someday, I want to become a Disney Imagineer.