Heather Latter
It’s been a long wait for Fort Frances native Jessica Bekesi and Delaney Johnston of Emo, who applied for the Cultural Representative Program at Walt Disney World in Florida about 18 months ago.
But the wait is nearly over.
The pair will be headed to the “most magical place on Earth” next week to take part in the year-long program to represent Canada at the World Showcase at Epcot.
“I’m ecstatic,” Bekesi enthused.
“It’s always kind of been a pipe dream so the fact that we get to go together, it’s all pretty phenomenal.”
Bekesi said she heard about the program from Johnston, who discovered a summer cultural exchange program for university students to work at Walt Disney World and ended up being accepted—twice.
“My family has always been really big Disney fans,” explained Johnston, noting they’ve been going there every second year since she was about six years old.
“When I got to university, I just got it in my head one day, ‘I wonder if there is some way for me to work there,’” she recalled.
“So I just Googled it and I found the International Program website.
“I waited until second year and I applied,” she added.
The first summer, Johnston worked at the “Spaceship Earth” attraction at Epcot. Then the following year, she worked at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney.
“They were two very different summers but they were just so fantastic,” she remarked.
“I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
“They were one of the most difficult and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Johnston added.
“It’s not easy by any means but what you get out of it is just incredible,” she said.
“It truly is a life-changing experience.”
Being friends since high school and attending the same university, Bekesi soon heard of the wonderful experiences Johnston had.
In fact, Bekesi applied for one of the summer programs, as well, but was put on the wait list (also known as the “Opportunity List”).
Soon they started talking about applying for the full-year Cultural Representative Program.
“It seemed an even better way to go,” reasoned Bekesi, though admitting it was “the craziest application process of my whole life.”
The pair began the process in September, 2012 by submitting their résumés online.
“Then they cut that down by about 25 percent and the other 75 percent get phone interviews,” she explained.
“And if you pass that, which is about half, then you go to a face-to-face interview.”
These were held in Montreal last February—with both Bekesi and Johnston being put on the “Opportunity List” the following month.
“The ‘Opportunity List’ is a bit different for this one because a lot more opportunities arise,” Bekesi noted.
“They only handed out the first half of the offers and then slowly more offers trickled out.”
But by the end of last summer, both girls were in tears because the end of the “Opportunity List” was the first week of September.
“So we were trying to accept that it was okay that we weren’t going,” Bekesi recalled.
“But then we both got e-mails on the same day for the same start date [at the end of April].
“So that was almost a year after I had first applied,” she noted.
“So it’s been a lot of waiting.”
For the past few months, they’ve been preparing by connecting with other cultural representatives who will be starting the program on the same day.
And these people hail from all over the world since Epcot features 11 countries in the World Showcase—Canada, Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Frances, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
“I have already Skyped with someone from Germany who arrives the same day,” Bekesi noted, adding she’s excited to live with people from all over the world.
“It sounds so exciting to be thrown into something you don’t know so intensely,” she remarked.
“It’s just one of the things that is so unique about this program; just how many people you get to know from all over—Norway, Italy, Africa, France.
“All of these people could be in one house together and share it for a year.
“It’s a very unique experience,” she reiterated. “Where else could you get something like that?
“This really is a multi-cultural experience,” Bekesi continued, noting she’ll also have the opportunity to meet visitors from all over the world.
Bekesi will be working in the theatre of “O Canada!”—an 18-minute Circle-Vision 360° film showcasing the very best of Canada.
“I get to introduce the movie and give the safety spiel,” she explained.
“For each shift, you will be in each position for a little bit,” she noted. “They try to keep it pretty balanced.”
Johnston, meanwhile, will be working in the store, as well as at an outdoor cart there.
“This program has a lot of what I love because people are coming to the pavilion to talk to cast members,” she said.
“They want to find out about Canada, they are there to learn.
“This is exactly what I want to be doing,” Johnston stressed.
Bekesi, on the other hand, is a little nervous about her position. She hadn’t really expected to be chosen for attractions since she doesn’t like to speak in front of large groups.
“But it will be a good experience,” she reasoned. “It will be something I will master, for sure.”
Dressed as “lumberjacks” in red plaid and hiking boots, Bekesi also is excited to share her knowledge of Canada with guests and other cast members (Disney employees).
“In Fort Frances, we have a unique situation where we do get four feet of snow and minus-50 [degree C] winters, so it’s kind of exciting to tell people about the kind of Canada they think they know,” she remarked.
“We’re such an outdoorsy community, too, and hockey is such a big part of the community.
“We are that wilderness area and people need to hear about it,” Bekesi continued. “Especially living on the border and having such a close relation to the States.
“It’s really exciting to get to pass on all this information.”
But above all, both are eager to spread that Disney magic.
“Hearing some stories about the little magic cast members get to create—how it lights up people’s days—it just seemed like something I definitely wanted to be a part of,” Bekesi said.
“I just can’t wait to create a magical moment for a family,” she enthused.
“Even if I create [only] one my whole year, it will be worth it.”
“I just love the guest interaction and the opportunities for magical moments,” echoed Johnston.
“Our job is to make magic and happiness,” she added. “It can be stressful at times but so worth it.”
“It’s a hard job,” agreed Bekesi. “The hours are insane and they have insane expectations for you because you always have to be on and smiling.
“There is no such thing as a frown from a cast member and the pay is basically break even, but it’s one of those things that you are going to the experience,” she stressed.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” Bekesi concluded.
“I’m positive it’s going to be the best year of my life.”
