Return to Headlines

Hoover High School Student Shares Her Experience at the Disney Dreamers Academy

April 26, 2023

Chelsea Williams, a freshman at Hoover High School, is still on cloud nine after her experience as a Class of 2023 Disney Dreamer. Williams was selected for a four-day program in March at the Disney Dreamers Academy, an educational mentoring program for exceptional young people hosted at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. She was among 100 teens hand-picked out of thousands of applicants to participate in the 2023 Disney Dreamers Academy.

Williams said, “My mom asked me if I wanted to do this. I really didn’t know what it was at first. I love Disney, so I was like, ‘Why not?’. If I could sign up and go again, I would go. It inspired me a lot. It was hands-on, and you get to do exactly what you would do in the profession you’re interested in pursuing.”

The Disney Dreamers Academy aims to broaden career awareness for teens across the country. The program offers career and leadership workshops, seminars, and presentations by industry experts. Williams wants to be an actor one day. She participated in experiences related to that field at the Academy.

Williams said, “We had representatives who worked at Disney who were our chaperones, and they would tell us where we needed to be and what we were doing. My chaperone worked in the Star Wars department, and she taught us a lot about improv, and we performed and interacted with an audience part of the Dreamers Academy.”

The goal of the Disney Dreamers Academy is for students to be transformed and leave with the motivation and skills to help make their dreams come true. That’s precisely the impact the Academy had on Williams.

“There were a lot of connections. I was around a lot of people who were doing what they love. Even if they weren’t in the acting field, I got to see and talk to them about their journey. Hearing how they got there and their struggles and advice were helpful and inspiring to me,” said Williams.

The Dreamers also visited Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.

Click here to view William’s profile on the Disney Dreamers Academy website.