![Posing in front of The Magic Kingdom with her family, junior Karry Nickel enjoys her 20th time at Disney World. As Disney passholders, the Nickels have embraced the tradition of going to Disney every Fourth of July. “There are no words [to describe] going to bed and knowing that the next morning, you're getting on a 5 a.m. flight to Orlando to go to Disney. It’s one of the most exciting feelings ever, and I'll never forget the memories,” Nickel said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8c92fea5-e084-4f05-acb7-d5a0e28f8340-1200x799.jpg)
After stepping into the doors of the most magical place on Earth for a total of 10 times in under three years, junior Karry Nickel and her family view Walt Disney World as more than just a one-stop summer vacation. As a Disney annual passholder, Nickel has been to Disney over 20 times since she was one year old.
The Nickel family became Disney passholders after Nickel’s mom first got a pass because of how often they visited Disney and then shared her love for Disney with the family. While Nickel doesn’t remember much from her first trip to Disney, it was a special one because it was the first time her entire family went together. Since then, the Nickels have built up traditions for every time the family visits.
“Whenever I go to the parks, I collect Mickey Ears. Now, I have around 25 pairs of ears,” Nickel said. “I [also] always get the same drink, Blue Milk — a Star Wars drink found in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Every time I go, I have to get it or else I feel like I didn’t even go to Disney.”
Capturing moments through one of her many Disney visits, junior Karry Nickels poses in front of the Cinderella Castle. For the past decade, Nickel has used her Disney pass to enter the parks. “I’ve had an annual pass for almost half a year now, and it makes things so much easier. Before we got annual passes, we had regular tickets that were usually for five days; it would get annoying because once you ran out of days, it made it hard to go again because you had to buy a new ticket. When you went to the park [with a regular ticket], you felt like you had to stay there the whole day and ride everything and see everything because you wanted to get your money’s worth,” Nickel said. (Gabby Nickel)
Recently, while visiting all four theme parks around the Disney properties, the Nickel family decided to switch the resort they stay at each time.
“Two years ago, my parents thought it would be fun if we resort-hopped. We stayed at five different Disney Deluxe resorts in the span of 11 days. It was crazy. We stayed at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for one night, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa for two nights, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for three nights, Disney’s Boardwalk Resort for three nights and Disney’s Polynesian Resort for the rest,” Nickel said. “That was one of the craziest trips ever, but that’s what made it so special; it was a trip to remember.”
But besides jumping from park to park and exploring the endless things to do, Nickel most values her Disney experiences with her family — particularly while visiting Animal Kingdom. With over 300 species, Animal Kingdom has been open for 25 years. Across all 20 Disney trips, Nickel has visited the Animal Kingdom over 15 times.
“[Doing] the Wild Africa Trek with my brother was one of the most memorable moments. We had a good bonding experience, and it was fun because it’s something that we had never done,” Nickel said. “My family goes to Disney as our main [travel] spot because we all have the most fun there. We go to other places like New York, the beach and out of the country, but Disney is our main vacation spot because there’s so many things to do. Each time it’s different.”
Nickel’s parents began visiting when they only had one kid and then kept the tradition going, and now, Nickel says Disney is so special to their family because they feel at home there.
“I love to travel because every time I go [to Disney], it’s always so fun. My passion for travel is so big because I would love to travel everywhere if I could, but Disney always has a home for my family and [me]. When I travel, there is always something new we try, like a different resort, or restaurant, and I love trying new things because it makes trips more exciting.” Nickel said.
![Alongside club sponsors Andrea Horn and Tim Burkard, assistant principal Kate Piffel prompts a discussion at the first Black Student Union (BSU) meeting. She accepted suggestions for BSU from members like BSU Leader and junior Tanatswa Zirengani, who moved from Zimbabwe in 2021. “Moving here and transitioning into a new school [and] lifestyle, [BSU] became [a place] where I could be myself and talk about issues that I felt comfortable talking about back home. BSU [also] gave me the opportunity to venture into the post-high-school experience, telling me [some] things to expect,” Zirengani said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0120-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/462488499_2973926416100522_5057718068659607183_n-1200x925.jpg)
![Sophomore Isaiah Meese smiles after his Eagle Scout Ceremony. Meese has participated in the scouting program since first grade, learning new aspects of life and growing a community of a second family. “I almost didn’t do [boy scouting], but I'm glad I eventually did start doing it. I regret that I wasn't [working towards Eagle Scout during COVID]. It might not always seem like the most rewarding thing, but if you put your time into it, there's a good chance you'll get quite a lot out of it: friends, new activities and hobbies, or just more experience,” Meese said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1004-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Justin Lutz arranges his collection of basketball sports cards. Lutz started his first hand at entrepreneurship with an online store on eBay, dealing and trading in the sports card market. “I was already collecting sports cards [before], so I knew a lot of these players and I understood the market. I ventured into other sports, but I really stayed with the ones that I knew the most, [like] basketball. It’s really important to focus on what you know because it's so much easier than starting completely from scratch in a market that you don't understand. Find something that you're interested in," Lutz said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-design-2.png)
![Standing in front of the American Sign Language program’s mural, junior Brooke Hoenecke signs with freshman Darren Young. Hoenecke began cadet teaching for ASL this year alongside working towards earning her seal of biliteracy. “I was in ASL class when I received the email [that I qualified for the seal]. I was jumping up and down with my teacher and the rest of the class. One of the reasons why I took cadet teaching this year was so that I could prepare for the Seal of Biliteracy and be immersed in ASL,” Hoenecke said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hoenecke.jpeg)
![With a keen eye for detail, senior Natalie Lashly writes her signature onto the senior hand wall. After some encouragement from her friends, Lashly applied to make the hand wall with her Lorax-inspired design. "I thought the [bright] colors would be fun. Our quote on the wall is 'Let us grow,’ based on the 'Let it grow' song [from the movie]. [I was hoping that the design would] make the cafeteria feel more exciting," Lashly said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0099-1200x801.jpg)
![Walking onto the field, freshman Erastus Adewusi wears a pink jersey in remembrance of cancer awareness month. With the number seven on his jersey, Adewusi reflects on his life in Nigeria before moving to America. “I [used to wake up] at 5:30 a.m. and school would end at 5 p.m. [versus] now,” Adewusi said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0029-1200x800.jpg)
Karry • Oct 4, 2023 at 12:04 pm
Aww this is amazing Lia!