
Five Dallas-area Teens Rep the Big D at Disney Dreamers Academy
Ever been sitting outside on an August summer day in Dallas and wondered, “why in God’s name would the first people to find this place find it, set up shop, hang out for a bit, then experience the first summer and still
But that’s the thing about Dallas, though. Dallas has a history of and knack for growing and drawing in dreamers. At times called “the city that shouldn’t exist”, a convincing idea that was convincingly argued in the once-controversial book by Jim Schutze, The Accommodation, Dallas is a city that was built by people whose vision for what the city could be seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Originally a home to the tribespeople of the Caddo, Comanche, Kiowa, Tawakoni and more, Dallas would draw in settlers looking for land and then others looking to build their dream empires via trade – and yes, this does include the “trade” of, well, people.
Dallas was born with a dollar and a dream, so it’s no surprise that this year, five Dallas-area teens were selected to represent the Big D at Disney’s Dreamers Academy in Orlando, Florida, trailing only Los Angeles and Miami. It’s worth noting that Walt Disney himself was a dreamer, dreaming and believing that The Walt Disney Company could even exist and could expand to touch people from all over the world. In that same spirit, the Dreamers program empowers students from underrepresented communities to go for what they want. The Disney Dreamers Academy began in 2008, welcoming its first class of students to the immersive leadership program meant to inspire the next generation of innovators. Since then, over 1,500 students have participated in the program, traveling cross-country to Disney World. Each year, a new class is selected from a pool of thousands of applicants. These students are chosen based on their personal stories, ambitions, and essays detailing their dreams for the future.
Humble flex – Dallas sent five! This year, Dallas boasts five of our own having been selected, so that the Big D had more students selected to attend than every other major city except Los Angeles and Miami. This year, the Dallas-area students range from a stand out freshman to an impressive senior with interests that span the professional spectrum, from art and hospitality, to computer science and zoology. The Disney Dreamers Academy 2024 Big D five are:

Ahlaysia Beasley is freshman at Trinity Leadership Charter School who aspires to author books, poems and plays. At Trinity, she participates in student government and leadership and spends free time volunteering at her church and at the local elderly home, reading to seniors.

Christiana Blankson is a junior at Greenhill School who loves tennis, art, and baking. She, impressively, runs a catering company called Ana Mission, delivering food on demand to local neighbors and businesses. She’s also the co-founder of a Greenhill High mentoring program called Black Girl Unity.

Lakshmi Gorthi is senior at Coppell High and is the president and co-founder of a nonprofit organization that tutors children on foreign and programming languages. She is also a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo.

Zahra Khatri is a junior at Plano Senior High and an artist with a passion for zoology and marine biology. She volunteers at Dallas Refugee Outreach, Dallas Zoo, and Operation Kindness Animal Shelter as a foster care worker. Using her art as a medium for climate advocacy, she shares her work via competitions and social media.

Madison McClellan is a junior at Greenhill School and the President of the HiSTORY Retold Project. She is also a member of her school’s Student Inclusion Council and an advocate for equity and inclusion.
Being selected for Disney Dreamers Academy is an honor. Students aren’t just treated to a magical time at Walt Disney World. The program offers a unique blend of experiences designed to nurture the future leaders. This year, students will have the opportunity to attend career-building workshops in various fields from STEM and animation, to storytelling. Special guests speakers and celebrity visitors will include TV star Dara Reneé, Actor Lance Gross and Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross. Students will also get the chance to hear from the veteran radio and TV personality Rickey Smily, and Black Panther and Space Jam artist and illustrator Nikkolas Smith.
As Dallas is a testament to the power of dreaming and visualizing what could be, the Disney Dreamers Academy is a testament to Walt Disney’s belief in the power of dreams.
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