LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Teens bid an emotional farewell at the commencement ceremony on the final day of the Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World on Sunday.
The four-day event concluded with a ceremony breakfast that featured speeches from Disney Signature Experiences Vice President and Disney Dreamers Academy Executive Champion Tracy Powell, DDA alum Princeton Parker, actor Lance Gross, businessman and star of ABC’s “Shark Tank” Daymond John and TV star Dara Reneé who served as the teens DREAMbassador.
Performances included a step show by members of the Black fraternities and sororities, singer and rapper Samara Cyn and The Rise Steppers.
Reneé spoke to the students about reaching their goals and the importance of what they learned over the weekend.
“Thank you for being you,” she said. “The future is burning brighter for all of you all. Being here with you all has taught be about how I want to show up as a mentor, as a role model and just as a human being in this world with a purpose.”
Also highlighted during the ceremony was student David Lopez, a high school senior from Encino, Calif., who was awarded Dreamer of the Year. Lopez has goals of becoming a filmmaker. His family was awarded an all-expenses paid vacation to Walt Disney World
“I’m so shocked by this,” he said in one interview. “All the support I’ve been given is unbelievable.”
At Sunday’s commencement ceremony, motivational speakers and mentors gave their final words of advice to the Dreamers before going home. The teens were encouraged to take what they learned and share it with their peers.
The ceremony ended with the parents giving the Dreamers rings as a symbol of their achievement and their pledge to strive for greatness.
The Disney Dreamers Academy is a once-in-a-lifetime educational and mentoring program for a select group of 100 high school students. The students were selected from thousands of applicants nationwide.
Along with a parent or guardian, each teen received an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World Resort, where they learned important networking skills and participated in hands-on career workshops.
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.