Disney World is a place of magic, wonder, and joy, where all your wishes come true… right? Wrong. At least in one employee’s case, what was supposed to be a dream job turned out to be the stuff of nightmares.
On TikTok, a former participant of the Disney College Program named Kassie gave folks a peek behind the curtain of what the experience did to her mental health. In a short clip, she starts by describing what we’re about to witness, saying “Watch the Disney College Program destroy me!” What follows is a sequence of photos taken during Kassie’s time at Disney World, portraying her slow transition from a place of happiness to despair, until she eventually quit.
The numerous images of Kassie’s tear-stained face paint a harrowing picture of what her experience must’ve been like, sparking curiosity about what exactly happened among those who came across the video. When probed for details about her story, the content creator didn’t shy away from going deeper into her story:
My coordinator sexually harassed me and people at my location severely bullied me. My leaders refused to move my location, even after I proved I was sexually harassed.
The video’s comment section was quickly filled with people either expressing their bewilderment, sharing similar stories, and exposing how they were negatively affected by the experience. “I still have PTSD from the Disney College Program,” one commenter wrote, while another affirmed “I cried after every shift. It was tough.” Between words of support, one person chimed in with the necessity of calling the world’s attention to the matter, saying that “someone should do a documentary on this.”
Due to the number of replies to Kassie’s original TikTok, she later posted a video requesting that folks with similarly terrible experiences at Disney World reach out to her. Her idea is to expose and raise awareness of stories like hers, which is not only a good thing to do, but also incredibly important. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, over “6500 sexual harassment claims were filed” with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2020, showcasing how prevalent the issue is in the U.S.
Sure, after the #MeToo movement took the country by storm, awareness about the issue increased, but talking about it is never too much. Besides, while TikTok is best-known for its lighearted content, it can also help uncover some pretty disturbing stories from time to time. And trust me, it doesn’t take a lot for those to take shockingly wild turns.
