BY CAITLIN LAFLOWER
From March 2 to March 7, 323 students and 31 faculty members spent six days in Orlando, Florida, exploring all the great attractions that Walt Disney World and Universal Studios had to offer.
Students visited Disney World on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and traveled to Universal on Wednesday. “It was the best senior trip a student could have, and we did so much with the amount of days we had,” shared Mitziany Marin.
Attending the Senior Disney Trip gave students an opportunity to try new things, such as different foods, going on a plane, and conquering fears. “The highlight of the trip for me was overcoming my fear of rollercoasters,” said Sofia Marikovska. “I used to be scared of them, but now they excite me.”
Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom presented visitors with different experiences to enjoy. “My favorite park to visit was Animal Kingdom. It was so pretty because of the nature and the different animals,” stated Aniya Chapaneriya. “I also enjoyed the safari. I got to learn a lot about the animals and see animals I’ve never seen before.”
Many students enjoyed visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a portion of Hollywood Studios themed around the franchise. The area included attractions like the ride Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and the ability to build lightsabers at Savi’s Workshop. “I loved being able to experience everything Star Wars, like making my own lightsaber and getting yelled at by Kylo Ren,” shared Kayla Hennessey.
Prior to their trip, many students made dining reservations for restaurants in the Disney World parks and in Disney Springs. “I visited Ohana, Chef Mickey’s and this place in Disney Springs called Chicken Guy, and they were all amazing,” shared Sean Mangam. “My favorite was Ohana because it was all you can eat. It has Polynesian food, they had noodles, dumplings, chicken, steak, and shrimp.”
Students had the option of buying additional tickets for Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Purchasing the tickets permitted them to spend three more hours in the parks after they closed and the ability to go on rides with much shorter lines. “The highlight of my trip was the After Hours party,” said Luke Babst. “It was a lot of fun. There were no waits and as much Disney snacks as we wanted!”
At Universal Studios, students experienced fun attractions based off Harry Potter, Marvel, Jurassic Park, and more. “My favorite rides were VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure because they were the most thrilling and Rip-Ride Rocket because it played music during the ride,” said Daniel Rodriguez.
The Class of 2025 had an excellent time on their senior trip and shared advice for underclassmen going in the future. “One piece of advice I would give is to just have fun,” said Chapaneriya. “Somedays you are going to feel cranky or tired, but you have to push through because it’s your last trip as a senior and you need to make the most out of it!”
Aniya Chapaneriya and Ritvika Totuka stand back-to-back in front of foliage in Animal Kingdom. 
Anastasiya Sharkan, Seida Demirovic, Paullyn Asumadu, Aniya Chapaneriya, Ritvika Totuka, and Skylar Awan huddle together for a selfie on line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. 
Haneen Abdelkarim, Giana Derasmo, Nelinda Altú, Brianna Espinal, and Emily Capano hold up peace signs while dining at Roundup Rodeo. 
Jason Cota, Daniel Rodriguez, John Smith, and Michael Artigas stand together in front of a lit up Cinderella Castle. 
Karolina Janczuk, Keilani Warn, Malli Khokhal, and Sam Prado Roberts flex their muscles in front of Hulk at Universal. 
Margaret Conklin, Amelia Menkes, Brynn McCafferty, and Nancy Aboukhadrah pose wearing Minnie Mouse headbands in front of Cinderella Castle. 
Jaxon Schwartz and Sean Mangam pose with The Mandalorian and Grogu in Galaxy’s Edge. 
Sofia Marikovska, Malak Elbaridi, and Saniyah Smith take a selfie with peace signs at Teppan Edo in Epcot. 
James Mellon, Aidan Reynoso, Brandon Medel, Brady Kelly, Michael Hefter, Jayden Colon, Sean Mangam, and Logan Schroeder mimic Wolverine’s iconic crossed-arms pose. 
Sean Mangam, Brady Kelly, Krish Patel, Logan Schroeder, and Stephen Davies take a selfie on line for Avatar Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom.. 
Lauren Soto, Amanda Jupinka, and Klaudia Ratuszny clink their drinks together. 
Amanda Jupinka, Klaudia Ratuszny, and Lauren Soto take a 0.5 selfie on line for Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast in Universal. 
Thomas Maichin, Christian Deserto, and Christopher Lodzinski stand close with Chewbacca for a picture. 
William Rahner, Christopher Lodzinski, and Thomas Maichin smile alongside Peter Pan. 
Malli Khokhal, Karolina Janczuk, Anastasiya Sharkan, Keilani Warn, and Sam Prado Roberts wrap their arms around each other in front of the Te Fiti topiary in Epcot. 
Luke Babst, John Bianculli, Michael Hefter, and Daniel Ferraro point to a server at the Diamond Horseshoe. 
John Bianculli, Daniel Ferraro, Luke Babst, and Matthew Walz stand closely for a picture on Main Street with Cinderella Castle in the background. 
Paullyn Asumadu, Amanda Jupinka, Anastasiya Sharkan, and Seida Demirovic smile in front of Cinderella Castle and the Partners statue.
Posted on 4/7/25
Photos provided by Keilani Warn, Sofia Marikovska, Margaret Conklin, Natalie Goldberg, Sam Prado Roberts, Daniel Rodriguez, Giana Derasmo, Aniya Chapaneriya, Sean Mangam, Amanda Jupinka, and Luke Babst
Knight Life 