Gulfport Student Going to Disney Dreamers Academy

Cinderella always said, “A dream is a wish your heart makes.” Well, one Gulfport High School student is making her dreams come true starting with Disney Dreamers Academy. News 25’s Laurene Callander caught up with 15-year-old Mary Elizabeth Entrekin about this prestigious opportunity and what inspired her to apply.
Mary Elizabeth applied to the Disney Dreamers Academy back in October. The academy is a prestigious program where 100 students in the country study a subject of their choosing, attend leadership training and network with others, all while staying at the happiest place on earth. This 15-year-old could not believe it when she found out she was accepted. “I think it is super cool. I guess it just hasn’t really hit yet because I’m not there but I’m sure that once I’m there, I’ll be like ‘oh my gosh’ but it just doesn’t really feel real. I’m just going to Disney in 20-something days.”
While Mary Elizabeth’s jaw dropped, her honors English teacher, Tina Salminen, wasn’t surprised. “She’s very motivated. She knows what she wants to do. She knows where she wants to go. She’s cognitive of what her responsibilities are and knows what she’s got to do to achieve her goals, so I’m not surprised at all,” said Salminen.
Mary Elizabeth is going somewhere where she has no expectations but what is she most nervous about: what she is going to wear. “I don’t know what I’m going to be doing,” said Mary Elizabeth, “So, I don’t know to bring business casual or professional. Do I need dressy dressy, like party dresses? I have no idea.”
Even though Mary Elizabeth has the usual concerns of a 15-year-old girl, her mindset about preparing to become a United States senator is inspiring and mature for a high school freshmen. “You see so many people that are stuck. They don’t like what they’re doing, they just go to work every day and then come home every day and feed the kids and their life is so boring. I don’t want a life like that, I want to be doing what I love,” said Mary Elizabeth.

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