Singer-songwriter and actress Halle Bailey is serving as the celebrity ambassador for 16th year of Disney Dreamers Academy, an educational mentorship program created and hosted by Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.
Bailey will serve as a mentor and advocate during the March 23-26 event, which aims to broaden career awareness and create enrichment opportunities for the 100 Black high school students and teens from underrepresented communities being hosting by Walt Disney World.
“If it wasn’t for my mentors, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Bailey said. “I’m excited to work with these students and be a mentor for them as they find their passions in life.”
Bailey is starring as Ariel in the upcoming live-action Disney film The Little Mermaid based on the 1989 Disney animated film. The new movie is being released in theaters on May 26.
Bailey is one of several Hollywood stars participating in the annual mentoring program by Walt Disney World Resort that brings 100 students from around the country for an immersive career-inspiring weekend. Some of the other celebrities include R&B singing sensation H.E.R., plus actors Marsai Martin (ABC show “black-ish”), and Jalyn Hall (feature film “Till’’).
As the celebrity ambassador, Bailey headlines the list of celebrities and will be a mentor and advocate during the Thursday through Sunday event, which is designed by Walt Disney World Resort to broaden career awareness and create exclusive enrichment opportunities for high school students from diverse communities around the country.
The program will introduce the Disney Dreamers to an array of new immersions, such as sessions teaching valuable life tools as well as leadership skills, effective communication techniques and networking strategies.
16th Disney Dreamers Academy by the numbers
Students will also experience in-depth career workshops in a variety of disciplines aligned with their dreams. The workshops will introduce the Disney Dreamers to diverse career paths within business, entertainment and sciences, including career opportunities within The Walt Disney Company.
Over the years, Disney Dreamers Academy has inspired more than 1,300 students from across the country. Each year, graduates have gone on to become doctors, engineers, performing artists, entrepreneurs and more, and some have transitioned into mentors to the Disney Dreamers who followed them.
Disclosure: The Walt Disney Company paid for the travel and accommodations for several media outlets, including the AmNews, to cover the Disney Dreamers Academy. Disney did not review or approve any of our coverage.