The students chosen for the Disney Dreamers Academy took place in a special parade at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World this week.

This year’s Disney Dreamers Academy is currently happening in Walt Disney World. The annual event is an educational mentoring program hosted by Disney World. From March 23 to 26, 2023, the event aims to broaden career awareness and create exclusive opportunities for students from underrepresented communities in America. This year’s event hosts 100 students, who have been joined by celebrity ambassador Halle Bailey and Disney Dreamers Executive Champion Tracey Powell.

2023 Disney Dreamers Academy

The Disney Dreamer Academy started in 2008, and each year since, the program has announced a new class of 100 students every January. This group is selected from thousands of applicants that applied for the 2023 mentoring program, which is designed to “assist young people in identifying and pursuing their dreams.” Each applicant is asked to answer essay questions about their personal stories, as well as their dreams for the future.

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Disney

The selected group is then able to take place in the multi-day event hosted in spring in Disney World, where they (along with a parent or guardian) can enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to the parks. We were honored to get the chance to speak with a few of the students at the event, whose passions ranged from robotics to zookeeping!

 

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Along with the inspirational students, we were also able to speak with celebrity ambassador Halle Bailey, who fans will soon be able to see on the big screen as Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, which will be coming to theaters May 26, 2023.

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Disney

Disney Dreamers Academy Parade in Magic Kingdom

As part of the event, the students took place in a special parade in Magic Kingdom, where they were joined by Halle Bailey, along with beloved characters like Mickey Mouse, Princess Tiana, and Pluto!

Photo by Charlene Morrison/Disney

Along the route, students held signs with their home states, showing the vast array of places the chosen high schoolers represented. After the parade, students were able to explore Magic Kingdom, as well as take a ride on the new TRON Lightcycle / Run located in Tomorrowland.

Photo by Charlene Morrison/Disney

To learn more about the Disney Dreamers Academy, you can check out their website here. And make sure to follow along with our Instagram stories as Aly shares the events from the exciting four-day event!

Thanks to Disney for hosting us at the Disney Dreamers Academy event, where we were able to conduct interviews and learn more about the exciting program.