If you love celebrities and Disney World, we’ve got NEWS for you!

There are unique ways to enjoy celebrity-themed things in Disney World (like eating at a celebrity table or getting celebrity-sent items) and sometimes you may even spot a real celebrity or two in the parks. But if you want to check out an event that’s filled with celebrities AND supports an important mission, this is what you need to know!

Have you ever heard of the Disney Dreamers Academy? Well, you’re about to! For years, Disney has been offering a special event called Disney Dreamers Academy. It is an educational mentoring program that is held in Disney World.

During this event — which takes place from March 23rd to the 26th — 100 students from across the U.S. visit Disney World. These students are selected out of the thousands of applications sent in each year. The students get to come to Disney World (all-expenses paid trip!) with a parent or guardian for the 4-day event. The entire event is aimed at “broadening career awareness and creating exclusive opportunities for Black students and teens from underrepresented communities across America.”

By encouraging the kids to “think big,” Disney is hoping that those students will take lessons from the event back home and keep chasing their dreams.

This year marks the 16th anniversary of the event. Since it first started in 2008, over 1,500 students have been a part of the program. Disney notes that “graduates have become storytellers, artists, engineers, innovators, journalists and more, and have transitioned into mentors to the Disney Dreamers who follow them.”

Just what happens during the Dreamers Academy? Well, the students get to participate in career-focused workshops, learn about essential skills like leadership, and more. Oh, and there are celebrity guests too! Past participants have included sports figures, musicians, and more.

We got the chance to experience a bit of the Dreamers Academy event and here’s what it was like! The event began with a Welcome Ceremony, where the Dreamers were all in attendance.

Mickey even came out as Drum Major Mickey, in partnership with Disney on the Yard. Disney on the Yard is a HUGE project for Disney. The company partners with historically black colleges and universities around the country to provide opportunities for students.

But the biggest surprise happened when Disney’s NEW live-action Little Mermaid herself, Halle Bailey, stepped out to speak with the Dreamers. She’s this year’s celebrity ambassador. Did we get a little starstruck? Definitely!

“I hope you’ll have the opportunity to see my debut as Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid!” Bailey said to the crowd. “And here’s what I think you’ll see Ariel is driven by curiosity, helpfulness, and the courage to pursue her heart’s desire. She takes thoughtful risks because she cares deeply about the world. And that describes y’all right? A Disney Dreamer too!”

Now THAT is what we call a welcoming ceremony. The attendees then left — they’ll be appearing in the Disney Dreamers Academy parade in Magic Kingdom next!

The parade is always a super fun part of the event. The participants get to be the well-deserved center of attention in Magic Kingdom!

It’s not a parade without Drum Major Mickey leading a marching band! He’s even dressed for the occasion!

Some of the Dreamers get to ride on a castle-themed float.

Others were walking with Goofy and holding up signs indicating what state they’re from!

Of course, as the Ambassador of this year’s program, Halle Bailey got to ride in the parade, too. We love that Princess Tiana got to tag along, too. Tiana AND Ariel!!!

Who doesn’t love a parade?

We got a peek at the Disney Dreamers Academy parade! ✨💫 pic.twitter.com/TspssvUF8l

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) March 23, 2023

We also got a chance to chat with Bailey about her excitement for being a part of the Disney Dreamers Academy this year.

We spoke to Halle Bailey today about her excitement behind becoming a Disney princess and being amongst this group of Disney Dreamers. #ddaDisney #Be100 #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/6p2NEFaRLL

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) March 23, 2023

During the weekend, Dreamers got to attend a variety of workshops. We peeked in on one called Stories Matter: Filmmaking and Storytelling. The workshop was led by Jay Rodriguez, Executive Producer of Rodriguez Bros Media. Also in attendance was Georgio Rodriguez, Executive Film Producer of Rodriguez Bros Media.

During the workshop, kids learned about how to tell stories through filmmaking. This could be the next group of future filmmakers of America!

There were a lot of opportunities for the kids to meet mentors and business leaders throughout the weekend, including folks from companies like Hallmark.

We hope they leave Disney feeling motivated and inspired!

And that’s a look at the Dreamers Academy event!

Click here to see important news about the 100th Anniversary and Disney World

What do you think about the Dreamers Academy? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. We were invited by Disney World to attend the Dreamers Academy as media. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ