“The Jumpstart” of day three is underway and the mornings focus is on creating your own personal brand and creating an authentic image. Leading beauty and style, television personality Mikki Taylor moderated a discussion with fashion designers Misa Hylton and Jerome Lamaar. “It's more than just the clothes, what you see is not always what you get. There is always more and this is why you should know what you want and what you bring to the table” recounted Lamaar.
Several Dreamers were able to showcase their personalities in a fashion show after individual fashion consultations with the designers. Cadence Brown of Williston, South Carolina spoke of living with depression and anxiety during the video montage but once she hit the stage all you saw was confidence. “To walk on this stage and represent the true me that I use to be has been such an honor and it has been so amazing to share it with you” said Brown.
Disney Dreamer Ryann Richards Young of Powder Springs, Georgia spoke of how she had to press forward while dealing with colorism. She has learned to appreciate the beauty of her melanin skin and natural hair. She showcased just how showcases her authentic self can be contagious as she took control of the stage.
Disney Dreamer Javier Lageyre Rivas of Weston, Florida loves black but appreciates how a pop of color can add so much to his brand. He's still discovering his dream but knows he must remain authentic to his true self.
As we took a brief break to congratulate all the dreamers who participated, sponsor State Farm hosted a “feel good” exercise. Alum Princeton Parker invited several students to identify another Dreamer that had done something good for them or just made them feel welcomed. It was wonderful to see the students highlighting one another and just how close they have grown over the past few days.
Motivational speaker and television personality Lisa Nichols, just six days shy of her wedding “stopped by to disrupt any form of mediocrity and be unapologetic with who you are” You can reach goals despite obstacles that might come your way. “Be willing to get up every day and give myself 1,000 second chances. And every time you get to 999, press reset.” stated Nichols. Everyone was motivated when she recanted “quitters never win, winners never quit” during a story of her swim team experience. She closed with an exercise that was completed the prior evening with the parents on safe space and retraining your mind with positive messages.
The busy continues as the Disney Dreamers sat on the edge of their seats during a “Conversations with…” panel moderated by ABC News/reporter Janai Norman. Speakers included fashion icon Kerby Jean-Raymond, Ralph Farquhar; executive producer of Disney’s Proud Family, Insecure producer Prentice Powell, Tommie & Codie Oliver, the creators of OWN’s Black Love series, Bethany Donaphin, the head of league operations for the WNBA, Demi Singleton, who played Serena Williams in King Richard, Faithe Herman, NBC, “This Is Us” and more. Recording artist Mali Music kept it real and entertaining.
After a break to explore Disney, the evening ended with the Dreamers showcasing what they learned during their “Deep Dive” sessions at the “Dreamer Career Open Mouse” exhibit. It was excited to see/hear how they plan to make their dreams a reality. Several Dreamers are already entrepreneurs and will use what they learned to grow their business.
It was a long day but next up is the commencement!
