As many of you know – especially those of you who live in the Orange County area – the Disneyland Resort has many programs that support local youth and education.

One of the best examples is the Disneyland Resort Dreamers & Doers, which this year recognized nearly 100 high school students throughout Orange County who took action to make a difference in their communities. Each received a certificate of recognition and park tickets to the Disneyland Resort.

On February 25, a third of those students were honored as “Shining Stars” and invited to attend an educational symposium focusing on leadership development and collaborative problem solving, followed by a celebratory luncheon. Each received grants of $1,000 for their high schools and medals of recognition.

Five were also named top “Luminaries” for going above and beyond in making positive change, earning a weekend prize package to visit the Disneyland Resort with their families and the opportunity to present a $3,000 donation to an Orange County nonprofit of their choice.

Congratulations to the following Luminaries and all of this year’s Disneyland Resort Dreamers & Doers!

  • Alisa Ogranovich from Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo for starting a Second Harvest Food Bank chapter at her high school and holding “mobile pantries,” which bring food to underprivileged communities and families.
  • Anna Lou from Oxford Academy in Cypress for bringing computer coding classes to more than 1,200 students and inspiring more girls to get involved in computer science.
  • Austin Hwang from Marina High School in Huntington Beach for starting a student club that focuses on water conservation and education, helping to fund well-building projects in Uganda and India.
  • Dalton Bourne from San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano for fundraising to create pouches that read “On the Road, Off the Phone,” for all teen drivers at his high school to keep them from texting while driving.
  • Sydney Fredette from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita for starting her own “Be the Change” club which has donated approximately $60,000 worth of goods to underprivileged kids living in motels.