A budding artist, an aspiring neurosurgeon and a creative storyteller are among the 100 talented high school students selected for this year’s Disney Dreamers Academy, an educational mentoring program hosted at Walt Disney World Resort.
The Details
Since 2008, Disney Dreamers Academy has inspired more than 1,500 students from across the country by fueling their dreams and showing them a world of possibilities as they prepare for their futures.
Each year, the Disney Dreamers are selected from thousands of applicants who answer essay questions about their personal stories and dreams for the future.
In the years following, graduates have become storytellers, artists, engineers, innovators, journalists and more, and have transitioned into mentors to the Disney Dreamers who follow them.
Disney says The Disney Dreamers program is an important part of its commitment to support diverse communities. By encouraging the next generation to think big, Disney hopes the students will carry what they learn back home and continue pursuing their dreams.
The Reveal
To kick off the announcement of the 2023 class, Mickey Mouse, Disney executives, and international recording star Kelly Rowland surprised one of the students, Mosope Aina, with the news of her selection live on national TV during ABC’s “Good Morning America” from her school in Newark, N. J.
Afterwards, the names of the entire Class of 2023 were displayed on a Times Square billboard (seen above).
The 100 students from across the country will descend on Walt Disney World Resort March 23-26 for the 16th annual event, aimed at broadening career awareness and creating exclusive opportunities for Black students and teens from underrepresented communities across America.
The full list of students chosen for 2023, and more information on the program, is available at DisneyDreamersAcademy.com.
Here is the “Good Morning America” announcement, in case you missed it: