My first memory at Disney World has been something that has always stuck with me. It was 2010, a few months after Princess and the Frog was released.  I was 6 at the time, so it was the first Disney princess movie that had come out that I got to see in theaters. It really got me excited to go to Disney World and actually get to meet Tiana, the first Disney princess that I was able to have a special connection with, watching her movie in a theater, rather than at home on my couch. I was so ready to go and tell how I wanted to be her when I grew up.

I was going to have to miss some school, starting the trip at the end of spring break and going for the next week. Ms. Steenrod had told me, “Hey, don’t worry about the homework. Just remember what you did and tell us about it when you get back.”

I thought that that was the coolest thing. My only homework in Disney world was to remember what I did. So of course, the only logical thing for a kindergartener to do was to make a whole presentation, and I still have my notebook filled with pictures, stickers, and misspelled words.

We were going over my sister's 2nd birthday, which meant the spotlight would be on her and only her. I had accepted this fact by the time we had left for the trip. It first occurred to me that this would be the case when she got an early birthday present of a Cinderella dress with a wand and shoes from my grandparents. As any 6-year-old would, I cried and begged for a dress of my own. That did not happen, my grandparents were not about to pay for a whole Disney World trip and outfits for both of us.

“Your mother can buy your outfit if she wants to. This is your sister's birthday so she was the special one. Stop your whining and deal with it,” my grandma had said to me. Of course, she knew that a Disney princess dress wasn’t something that my mom could afford. I knew it too, even at 6, so I dropped it. Our Disney trips were big deals. They had been something my mom had done growing up, and she wanted my sister and me to have the same experiences. We were not a rich family and Disney World trips cost tons. This made our trips extra special after saving up for 3 years at a time to go for a week of happiness. This trip was a gift from my grandparents for my sister's birthday. The deal was that they would pay for the trip, and my mom would pay for anything else, so when they said I would have to get my dress from her, I knew that that was not an option.

On our first day in the parks, we had gone to Hollywood Studios. We had just gotten out of my favorite show to watch, the little mermaid, and we were heading towards the bathroom, past the gift shop. I glanced over and something had caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks, getting my mom's attention, and I knew that I had found my perfect dress. My perfect Tiana dress.

“I want that one,” I remember saying. Not to anyone in particular, probably mostly to myself, but then we moved on. My grandma took my sister and me into the bathroom, and I waited for them to be done to leave. As I waited for them to finish, I thought about how bad I wanted it to be my birthday. If it was my birthday, I would have my dress. If it was my birthday, I would have asked my grandparents to also buy my sister a dress. I decided it right there and then that I wouldn’t want my sister to be left out like I was.

We moved on and walked back to my mom and grandfather. My mom had a bag next to her and I assumed it was another gift for my sister. “What else did you get her?” I asked, wanting to be in on the surprise.

“Well actually, this is for you,” my mom said to me with a smile. I was confused, I hadn’t asked for anything. I stared at her for a minute, and then looked in the bag. It was my Tiana dress. At first, I felt guilty. I had said that I wanted it, and I knew my mom couldn’t afford it. I looked up at her feeling bad, but she just looked at me and smiled. She knew I wanted it, and I knew that she wanted me to have it.

She struggled to get it over my head as I was crying but it was perfect. New confidence fell over me. I was a princess at Disney World, and everyone around could see it. I walked with my head held high, ready for anything. That night, I slept in my dress. I didn’t want to take it off ever again. I made sure to sleep on top of my covers so I wouldn’t mess up the dress.

Our next park was Magic Kingdom, the number one place to find princesses. Still wearing my dress and my confidence, we went through our day. As we walked around the park going on rides, any chance we got to see a character we stopped to get my autograph book signed. My spirits were starting to drop as it didn’t seem like Tiana was out that day. I wanted more than anything to see her and show her my dress. To tell her that I, too was a Disney princess. We went on, not seeing her at any of the character spots.

“Let’s grab a seat on the curb before the parade,” my mom said to me, trying to cheer me up, and it worked. I loved the parades, filled with more characters to see. We found a spot to sit with a perfect view of the soon to come floats. The only way to get a front and center seat was to sit well before the parade started, so we sat and we waited. It felt like an eternity for a 6-year-old. Getting more and more impatient, the person who sold the bubble guns and light-up wands walked by. I wanted one so bad. I didn’t even bother asking, knowing I had already gotten everything that mattered, my dress, let alone everything we could afford. Watching the bubbles flow through the wind did seem to make time go faster, though, so I kept staring.

Soon enough, the music sang through the speakers. Floats started to appear. The first had Minnie and Mickey, of course. They were followed by Snow White and her dwarves, Belle and the Beast, Pinocchio, and more. I stared in awe, waving and wishing to one day be up there in those same spots. As the parade went on, my spirits rose. Seeing all of the characters so happy and waving to me was almost enough to make me get over not seeing Tiana. Almost.

More and more floats passed with waving characters. As it came to an end, I was excited to see who would be on the final float. Oftentimes it was Goofy or Donald, wishing everyone a happy day. I strained to see who would be the final character to wave to me, and there she was. It was Tiana. She and Prince Naveen were there, waving and blowing kisses. I stared in awe with tears in my eyes. That’s when she saw me. She turned and looked straight at me. She waved and saw my dress. Excited, she got Naveen's attention and pointed to me. The two of them smiled and blew me a kiss. I was the most carefree 6-year-old in the world at the time. With nothing to worry about, I knew in my heart that someday, I would be standing right there. I would be a Disney princess.

Looking back now, it's not a Disney princess that I want to be. It’s what they represent. I want to be kind like Snow White, have passion like Rapunzel, be intelligent like Belle, have courage like Mulan, be curious like Ariel, and dream like Aurora. The Disney princess that I want to be is myself. Working to that standard is hard, but it is now what I always strive to do in my everyday life.