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Disney World hosts 19th Dreamers Academy for 100 ambitious teens who dream big

Chasing their dreams just became a reality.

By

Jacalyn Wetzel

Disney, wholesome, family, culture, Disney Dreamers Academy
Photo credit: Mark Ashman, photographer / WDW Disney Dreamers Academy – Disney World hosts 19th Dreamers Academy for 100 ambitious teens who dream big

For nearly 20 years, Disney World has been hosting an annual event that helps teens get closer to their dreams. Recently, the park hosted its 19th Disney Dreamers Academy, flying in 100 high schoolers from around the country along with a parent or guardian. The weekend was jam-packed with workshops, celebrity mentorship, and, of course, fun-filled days at the parks.

The teens were able to meet and spend time with the celebrities who committed their time to helping them succeed. Malia Baker, actor on the series Descendants, is a Disney Dreambassador, and just one of the many celebrities who spent time with the teens.

Disney, wholesome, family, culture, Disney Dreamers Academy
Disney star Malia Baker, Princess Tiana, and Disney Dreamers Academy students Joshua Anikwue (Brooklyn, NY) and Claire Jefferson (Warner Robins, GA) served as grand marshals in a magical parade at Magic Kingdom Park on March 26, 2026. The parade marked the kickoff of the multi-day mentorship program, bringing together 100 high school students from across the country at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Mark Ashman, photographer)

Las Vegas Aces basketball star A’ja Wilson surprised one basketball fan with a ride on Tiana’s Bayou. It ended with a splash. Dance Mom alum Nia Sioux also spent time helping the teens with a video project that flexed their creative skills.

These celebrities didn’t just hang out to make memories with the teens; they also gave heartfelt advice about overcoming setbacks. A’ja Wilson advises that anyone experiencing a setback should take the time to feel their feelings.

Disney, wholesome, family, culture, Disney Dreamers Academy
Las Vegas Aces basketball superstar A’ja Wilson reacts after riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during Disney Dreamers Academy on Friday at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Wilson surprised the students by experiencing the attraction with them. (Mark Ashman, photographer)

The WNBA star says, “I think sometimes we get so caught up in ‘this isn’t what it was supposed to be, or this is not how I imagined it.’ Sometimes it’s exactly what it needs to be. Even though it feels uncomfortable, even if it doesn’t feel well, you gotta go through it to grow through it, and that is so key to me.”

Judges handpicked the teens from thousands of Disney Dreamer applicants. This unique program not only provides networking opportunities, it also offers scholarships and the opportunity to intern in an area of interest. The students range from 10th to 12th grade, and several were already doing outstanding things in their communities.

Disney, wholesome, family, culture, Disney Dreamers Academy
Disney Dreamer, Angel Ajish-Yohann.
Courtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

Dreamer Angel Ajish-Yohann, shares with Upworthy, “I’m a student president of this really amazing organization called Friendship Circle Life Town.” In addition, she volunteers at the pediatric center at her local hospital as a Child Life volunteer. Ajish-Yohann also recently earned her EMT license.

Ngoc Ho from Houston, Texas, is going into International Relations. She’s using this opportunity to add to her already full resume. “I am a student activist, so I do a lot of protests and organizing for advocacy days, especially for SEAT, which is Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, as well as for Alief Votes,” Ho explains to Upworthy. “I’m the communications director over there for Alief Votes, and I’m the programs associate for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas.”

Disney, wholesome, family, culture, Disney Dreamers Academy
Disney Dreamer, Ngoc Ho
Courtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

Micah Dixon, another high schooler chosen for the unique opportunity, is ready to put in the work. He’s using his time as a Dreamer to network with others in the industry. The student is planning to go to Morehouse College.

“In the fall, I’ll be a Poli-sci major on the prelaw track, so my industry will be law and judicial,” Dixon says. He then adds words of encouragement to others who may feel stuck. “Don’t let your current situation impact your future situation. Remember, in order for you to have testimony, you have to go through a test.”

Disney, wholesome, family, culture, Disney Dreamers Academy
Disney Dreamer, Micha Dixon
Courtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

Throughout the weekend, the teens participated in skits, roundtables, and motivational speeches. They were able to learn from the celebrity mentors and take in their advice on handling disappointment. Malia Baker shares that having a good support system is key while dealing with disappointments.

“I think having a community, whether that’s you, your journal, and your guitar, or whether that’s you and a couple of headphones, or the people in your life. I think that’s really important,” The Descendants star says. “To be able to do that with a community that you love and can also remind you of who you are. Those reminders of who you are keep you sane in this world.”

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  • Watch a 10-year-old Sabrina Carpenter cover The Beatles “Come Together” for Miley Cyrus
    Photo credit: Red Carpet Report/Flickr & Wikimedia Commons – Sabrina Carpenter and The Beatles.
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    Watch a 10-year-old Sabrina Carpenter cover The Beatles “Come Together” for Miley Cyrus

    She performed the Michael Jackson cover version.

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    In an Instagram clip making the rounds, we see her slaying “Come Together” by The Beatles. With total confidence, she punches every word of the John Lennon/Paul McCartney masterpiece, even daring to switch up a few notes. “He got feet down below his knees,” she croons, pretending, like many of us do, to know what it means.

    The year was 2009, and Miley Cyrus had an online fan club called MileyWorld. Cyrus and her team held auditions for a show called “Are You a Superstar?” (also known as “Be a Star”), in which Carpenter auditioned. The clip notes that Carpenter’s fabulous performances didn’t go unnoticed: “She ended up placing third out of around 7,000 participants.” (Then-16-year-old Amy Colalella ultimately won the grand prize.)

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    Another commenter believes Lennon would be proud, writing, “John would be smiling. A star is born. Love it. Stays true to the melody, but adds her style and flair. Good one Sabrina.”

    Carpenter tackled other songs throughout the contest, including Cyrus’ “Hoedown Throwdown” and “The Climb.” She also brilliantly covered Christina Aguilera’s “Makes Me Wanna Pray.”

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    The fact that the ‘Espresso’ singer’s intense appreciation for Cyrus dates wayyy back to when she was just 10 years old is common knowledge on social media, where a photo of a young, fedora-clad Carpenter proudly posing with her idol has been making the rounds for years. So, when the singers crossed paths again at the 2025 Grammy Awards and posed for a modern recreation of the now-famous photo, fans were most definitely here for it.”

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    Photo credit: via Recordsnet and Matt Becker/Wikimedia Commons – Singers Marirose Powell (L) and Stevie Nicks (R).
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    Singer in hospice performs soulful ‘Landslide’ cover ‘one last time’

    She was Stevie Nicks in a Fleetwood Mac cover band for over 20 years.

    Tod Perry

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    The final performance of singer Marirose Powell has people welling up all over TikTok because of the soulful way she sang “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac while in hospice care. Powell performed as Stevie Nicks in a Fleetwood Mac cover band for over twenty years, so the song was a major part of her life.

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    Powell passed away on April 10, 2024, at 62.

    @samxenos

    there isnt a day that goes by that i wish we’d had more time with her. she was truly the only person i’ve ever known to leave people better than she found them. until we can be together again mama…

    ♬ original sound – samxenos

    In her obituary, she is remembered for her “infectious smile” that “guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day and she was known for her incredibly kind soul and generous heart. She had the beautiful ability to leave all those she touched better than she found them.”

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    This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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  • Indigenous woman cries tears of joy after hairdresser discovers ‘unruly’ grey hairs
    Photo credit: Canva – Indigenous woman cries tears of joy after hairdresser discovers 'unruly' grey hairs
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    Indigenous woman cries tears of joy after hairdresser discovers ‘unruly’ grey hairs

    “What a sacred and healthy perspective.”

    Jacalyn Wetzel

    Grey hair has been a concern for people since before hair dye was invented. Some people pluck them and dye them as soon as they see them growing in, while others embrace the silvery hairs. Chiara Do’wal Sehi (Sunshine) Enriquez, an Indigenous woman from the Karankawa Tribe, recently shared her excitement about learning she had grey hair.

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    indigenous, grey hair, getting older, culture and humanity, going grey
    Indigenous woman with long braids.
    Photo Credit: Canva

    During the colonization of the Texas Gulf Coast where the Karankawa originated, the Indigenous tribe was nearly eliminated. According to the Texas State Historical Association, the Karankawa people fought to maintain their land from 1685 until 1858 from French and Spanish settlers. Due to this multi-century, on-and-off battle for their territory, the tribe’s numbers became so small that they were considered “extinct.”

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    Indigenous woman standing in sunshine.
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    “I got my hair styled today. I don’t get it cut. It’s a cultural belief that I was taught by my mother. We don’t cut our hair, we let it grow. We save the cut for very, very serious and important moments in our lives,” she says while sitting in her car.

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    indigenous, grey hair, getting older, culture and humanity, going grey
    Elderly indigenous woman.
    Photo credit: Canva

    She later adds while tearing up, “I’m very happy to report that not only do I have for sure one grey hair, I have many. A plethora of grey hair. What an honor. What a fantastic gift to be lucky enough to see myself grow grey hair. That is so incredible. I am so lucky. What a life it has been. What a life it continues to be.”

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    indigenous, grey hair, getting older, culture and humanity, going grey
    Elderly Indigenous woman with hair covered.
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    “What a sacred and healthy perspective,” one person says.

    Another reveals, “I love this so much! Thank you for sharing your joy and gratitude with us. I’m getting grey and have been oscillating between feeling happy about it and feeling like I’m not sure i feel “ready” to have grey hair.”

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    Photo credit: Elmer Holloway, NBC, Wikimedia Commons – Comedian Carol Burnett in a 1958 TV sketch.
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    A young girl tells Carol Burnett ‘hello’ from her neighbor. It happened to have been Carol’s biggest crush.

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    When a person consistently brings the world joy, it’s extra special when we see them experience it tenfold. This is what happened for iconic comedian Carol Burnett when a young girl relayed a message from her next-door neighbor. Burnett’s response was pure delight.

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    Photo credit: via Sir Takhtasinhji General Hospital/Instagram – Sir Takhtasinhji General Hospital Bhavnagar and Dr. Ganesh Baraiya.
    , ,

    After his father rejected a circus’ offer to buy him for $5,000, 3-foot-tall man becomes a doctor

    He overcame everything to fulfill his dreams.

    Tod Perry

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    Photo credit: Canva – (L) Restaurant manager approaches a table; (R) An elderly woman having difficultly at her table
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    Chris Hansen didn’t make a fuss. He just quietly made sure she got exactly what she wanted.

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    Upworthy Staff

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    The obstacles of stroke recovery

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    @notjustabartender

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    Leavitt said his mother didn’t fully register what had just happened. But he did. “It took everything in me not to sob inside the deli,” he wrote.

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    Responding in kind

    Leavitt, who has worked in hospitality for 15 years, posted about the experience to his Instagram following of over 400,000 people. The response was immediate. Within a day, he’d received more than a thousand comments and messages. He also quietly launched a GoFundMe to benefit Hansen directly, as a thank you. As of late December, it had raised more than $16,500.

    He also brought his mother back to the deli to see Hansen in person, as News12 New Jersey reported.

    The comment that seemed to resonate most with viewers came from someone who put it simply: “A man crying because his mom was treated with respect and dignity is pure gold.”

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  • A little girl’s classmate asked who the man picking her up was. Her two-word answer made him emotional for the rest of the day.
    Photo credit: Canva – Step-dad picking up girl from school
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    A little girl’s classmate asked who the man picking her up was. Her two-word answer made him emotional for the rest of the day.

    It’d be nice if there were a simple rulebook for step-relationships.

    Tim Mercer

    Upworthy Staff

    Julian wasn’t expecting anything unusual when he pulled up to pick up his stepdaughter from school. Just another ordinary afternoon errand. But when one of her classmates pointed at him and asked who he was, his stepdaughter answered without hesitating for even a second.

    “That’s my dad.”

    Stepping up to just ‘dad’

    Julian shared the moment in a TikTok video that quickly resonated with thousands of viewers, many of whom have lived some version of this story themselves. He said he wasn’t sure she’d ever give him that title — not because things were bad between them, but because he’d never pushed for it. He’d just tried to show up, consistently, and let her lead.

    @jayvalenz_20

    she loves me yall lol #girldad #stepdad #chicago #school #daughter

    ♬ death bed (coffee for your head) – Powfu & beabadoobee

    That’s what made the moment so meaningful. She didn’t say it for him. She said it because it was simply true to her.

    People knew how it made him feel

    The comments filled up almost immediately with people who understood exactly what that kind of moment feels like. One commenter wrote that her husband cried the first time one of his stepsons said the same thing. Another, who grew up with a stepfather herself, offered a perspective worth sitting with: “She will see you differently the moment you just call her your daughter, not a stepdaughter. Just like how you felt — that feeling is the same both ways.”

    Kids are figuring things out, too

    That symmetry is easy to miss in blended families, where so much of the emotional weight tends to fall on the adults trying to figure out their role. Kids are often doing the same calculus quietly on their end, watching to see if this person is going to stick around, wondering what to call them, not wanting to get it wrong either.

    Julian ended his video saying he was going to take her out for food — which, as many commenters pointed out, is about the most dad response imaginable.

    The title of “dad” isn’t something you can ask for or negotiate. It’s conferred. And apparently, a school pickup on an ordinary afternoon is exactly the kind of place where it happens.

    You can follow Julian (@jayvalenz_20) on TikTok for more content on parenting and family. 

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