Making more dreams come true
Nine Florida students among 100 chosen for Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey, Essence
BY PENNY DICKERSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER
The selfless drive and passion to advance the dreams of America’s youth was celebrated March 5-8 at the eighth annual Walt Disney World Dreamers Academy with partners Steve Harvey and Essence magazine.
A nationally recognized syndicated television and radio personality, Harvey joined forces with A-list celebrities, motivational speakers and entrepreneurs to both select and hands-on mentor 100 of the country’s most promising high school students.
Each year, the selection committee led by Harvey, reviews stellar essays that best convey dreams.
A record 10,000 applications were received, 9,900 hopefuls received letters of decline, and the blessed 1 percent who were selected received an all-expense paid, four-day career and personal development immersion at the Walt Disney World resort.
Inspired by Jakes, Adams
This year’s consortium of “Dreamers” was represented by 28 states and traveled as far as 3,100 miles with goals to take the medical field by storm, conquer Wall Street as executives or entrepreneurs, and ignite the world as an engineers. But none shined brighter than Florida’s representative nine.
From Jacksonville to Miami and smaller cities between, the peninsula’s pride are extraordinary teenagers who are cheer leaders, Boy Scouts determined to become “Eagles,’’ multi-sport varsity athletes, youth members of “Doctors without Borders,” and community activists who excel as volunteers. 
With a parent or guardian in tow and their best behavior turned up, they came – they saw Mickey Mouse, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Yolanda Adams – they learned life-changing skills, and they tweeted their experiences like social media beasts whose smiles rivaled Florida’s infinite sun.
Harvey’s personal picks
The rare chance to meet Steve Harvey up-close and personally was a bonus for every participant, but for Harvey’s successful youth initiative, stardom took a back seat for a more important endeavor.
“The thing that makes the Dreamers Academy best for me, is when I pick the two kids that don’t have no idea what they want to do in life. A couple of people in their family told them they ain’t never gonna be nothing. There are two kids here like that this year.” Harvey stated.
“Every year I [personally] pick two who everybody else has ‘wrote off.’ All those kids are doing well now. Three of ’em are in college, two of ’em in graduate school…that’s what this program is.
When you instill something in someone that changes their life – that’s the program.”
Penny Dickerson 
