{"id":558327,"date":"2026-04-01T14:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/558327\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:11:13","slug":"aja-wilson-encourages-and-inspires-students-at-disney-dreamers-academy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/558327\/","title":{"rendered":"A’ja Wilson encourages and inspires students at Disney Dreamers Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. \u2014 As WNBA star A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> stood on stage last week speaking to 100 high school students participating in the Disney Dreamers Academy, her words evoked audible oohs and ahhs from the crowd at the Walt Disney World Resort<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The annual Disney Dreamers Academy<\/a> is a multiday, all-expenses-paid event that brings together high-achieving high school students from across the country. The program is designed to expose students to different career paths and allow them to develop workplace skills, network with like-minded peers and ultimately inspire them to chase their goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a different dreamer,\u201d said Wilson, who served as a mentor for this year\u2019s academy participants. \u201cMy dream wasn\u2019t to be a WNBA player at a young age. I didn\u2019t really dream that. I felt like that wasn\u2019t my goal. I felt like that wasn\u2019t my calling. The beautiful thing about dreaming is that it\u2019s limitless.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the program, students are encouraged to \u201cBe 100,\u201d a callback to the size of the participating class that emphasizes fostering, meeting and maximizing the opportunities in front of them. During the weekend, the students have the opportunity to interact with industry professionals in a variety of fields, participate in career workshops and even meet their idols.<\/p>\n

As Disney Dreamers Academy participants Shakayah Watson and Domenique Sexton made their way over to Tiana\u2019s Bayou Adventure<\/a> inside Disney\u2019s Magic Kingdom Park, they could sense some kind of surprise was afoot. <\/p>\n

Tiana\u2019s Bayou Adventure provides riders with an unapologetically Black experience \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna meet A\u2019ja Wilson! We\u2019re gonna meet A\u2019ja Wilson!\u201d Watson said to the cohort.<\/p>\n

Watson, a junior who plays for the Shiloh High School girls\u2019 basketball team in Snellville, Georgia, had long idolized the Las Vegas Aces player \u2014 not just on the court but as an entrepreneur. Watson already runs her own baking business, with hopes of expanding the operation in the future.<\/p>\n

As the high schoolers saw and approached Wilson, who was donning a set of Mickey Mouse ears, gasps and yelps emanated from the group.<\/p>\n

Sexton, a sophomore at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, said seeing a Black woman such as Wilson, who has reached the top of multiple fields, allows her to believe her own goals and dreams are attainable.<\/p>\n

\"LasLas Vegas Aces star A\u2019ja Wilson (from left) and Disney Dreamers Academy participant Domenique Sexton ride Tiana\u2019s Bayou Adventure on March 27, 2026, at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.<\/p>\n

Walt Disney World Resort<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody has that opportunity. You just have to be willing to put in the work,\u201d said Sexton, who aspires to be a sports broadcaster. \u201cBeing able to look up to her and see her success, it just really makes me want to pave my own path.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Watson, who stands just a few inches shorter than the 6-foot-4<\/a> Wilson, words of encouragement shared by the two-time Olympic gold medalist were inspiring.<\/p>\n

\u201c[A\u2019ja] was just telling me, as another tall girl, to continue to keep going and don\u2019t let anybody discourage you or talk down on you, and just continue to pursue your dreams,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n

A’ja Wilson is the WNBA’s \u2014 and her parents’ \u2014 dream come true \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

Wilson aimed to be a resource for academy participants, understanding the role that mentorship has played in her own journey. She recalled one of her first mentors in basketball being WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles, who took Wilson under her wing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were never teammates until the Olympics later on in my career, so it was truly special for her to reach out and to kind of just be like, \u2018I want to help you in any type of way.\u2019 \u2026 I think that\u2019s kind of what helped me want to do the same,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

Wilson\u2019s appearance came just days after the WNBA\u2019s board of governors ratified<\/a> a new and historic collective bargaining agreement that will substantially raise pay for WNBA players. Top players such as Wilson are set to sign the first million-dollar contracts in WNBA history. <\/p>\n

Wilson said her ability to stand in front of the students as a prospective million-dollar athlete showed attendees what is possible. Still, she hopes this is just the beginning for women\u2019s pro sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still want more. I\u2019m still going to continue to make sure that I can show up and show reasons why we deserve more. But, yes, this is a great stepping stone for us,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThis is something that is transformative for our league. And I love when you get a group of women together, and we stand on business. I think that\u2019s truly powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson continued:<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, yes, this moment is huge, but I hope that we can continue to change so when this next young group of women or next group of people want to become pro athletes in our field, that they\u2019re not dealing with the same things we\u2019ve had to deal with. So if we can leave the game better than the way that it was when we first walked in, that\u2019s what\u2019s truly powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actor and comedian Rickey Smiley<\/a>, who has been involved with the Disney Dreamers Academy for several years, also made an appearance during the event. Actress Malia Baker<\/a>, who has starred in Disney\u2019s Descendants franchise, was named this year\u2019s academy \u201cDreambassador.\u201d <\/p>\n

Baker, 19, said inspiration \u2014 in all of its forms \u2014 was the goal of the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only being inspired by others but hopefully instilling inspiration in others \u2014 especially this community. These are not only people that I admire, they\u2019re also my peers,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI feel honored to be amongst them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on her experience with the Disney Dreamers Academy, Watson said she\u2019ll return to her home state of Georgia with an invigorated confidence and a deepened sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in this program, being a Disney Dreamer, it\u2019s definitely showed me that I am meant to be here, and I am here for a reason. It showed me even more to just be more optimistic and to be my biggest cheerleader at times,\u201d Watson said. \u201cWhy not be your biggest advocate, be optimistic, and see where things continue to lead instead of being pessimistic? That\u2019s all there is to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean Hurd is a senior writer for Andscape who primarily covers women\u2019s basketball. His athletic peak came at the age of 10 when he was named camper of the week at a Josh Childress basketball camp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. \u2014 As WNBA star A\u2019ja Wilson stood on stage last week speaking to 100…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":{"0":"post-558327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-sports","9":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}