Two Albuquerque high school students tapped for Disney Dreamers Academy

High school students Alexis Limary and Olivia Davis had never met before an interview with the Albuquerque Journal on Friday, but next month both will be waving to their parents during a parade at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Limary, an Albuquerque Academy junior, and Davis, a junior at charter school Explore Academy, were selected with nearly 100 other students nationwide to participate in the Disney Dreamers Academy.

Described as a “once-in-a-lifetime mentoring program,” the students, known as “dreamers,” will get to interact with celebrities, business leaders and educators, during the four-day, all-expenses-paid event, from March 26-30, according to a news release.

Dreamers Academy includes breakout sessions with professionals specific to attendees’ career interests, said Joel Kaiman, vice president of Florida-based TJM Communications. Disney has not announced this year’s celebrity participants, but Shark Tank’s Daymond John, actress Halle Bailey and singer and actress Kelly Rowland have participated in the past.

“Our panel of Disney executives, along with other accomplished professionals, carefully review each application, looking for students who embody a passion for dreaming big,” said Angela Burgin Logan, senior manager of marketing strategy at Walt Disney World. “Each of the 100 students selected, including Alexis and Olivia, demonstrated this quality. We are thrilled to welcome them into this transformative experience.”

Limary and Davis previously applied to Disney Dreamers Academy but were not accepted. When they received acceptance letters in the mail this year, they could not have been happier.

“I was jumping up and down,” said Limary, who received her letter a few weeks past the time Disney said it would announce the winners. “I was not expecting that at all.”

Davis said her family opened the letter from Disney for her.

“I just lost my mind,” she said. “I screamed. I cried. It was incredible.”

Alexis Limary

Limary recalls going to Disneyland dressed as a character from the company’s hit film franchise “Frozen” when she was little. Limary jumped off a bunk bed, and her costume dress ripped, leaving her in tears. But a Disney cast member was kind enough to help her fix the garment.

Moments like that left her with a positive impression of the company known for Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Aladdin, Pocahontas and Ariel.

With inspiration from Disney in her heart, Limary’s goal is to become a biomedical engineer or a Disney Imagineer.

Limary’s passion for science, technology, engineering and math led her to earn the STEM Student of the Year Award when she was in the ninth grade.

She said using the skills she learned from DECA Inc., formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America, helped her to prepare for the Disney Dreamers Academy.

Limary said she wants to study engineering and business at Disney Dreamers Academy.

“I feel like, as an engineer, it’s important to be able to sell yourself,” she said.

Limary’s mother, Chao Limary, said she hopes her daughter comes back to Albuquerque and shares what she learned with her peers.

Olivia Davis

Unlike Limary, Davis has been to both Disney theme parks. On her fifth birthday, she went to Disneyland where she got a high-five from all the cast members during the parade.

“That was so exciting,” Davis said. “Honestly, if I went now, on my birthday, it would be just as exciting.”

While waiting on her chance to go to Orlando once again, Davis has kept herself busy as a varsity tennis player, head writer of her school newspaper’s pop culture column and interviewing her peers on her podcast, “Liv-ing Life.”

“Communications is the base of everything,” she said. Davis wants to major in communications, according to her Disney Dreamer biography.

To prepare for Disney Dreamers Academy, Davis said she plans to ask her instructor on the student newspaper how to interview people so she can make the most out of networking with professionals.

“Not only will this be great to come back to New Mexico with all the magic of Disney, but to see the parks in a new way that you haven’t seen before,” Davis said.

Davis’ mother, Jean Davis, wants her daughter to have fun in Orlando, in part, because Olivia works so hard.

“I want her to just enjoy it and not put any pressure on herself,” Davis said.