It was an exciting time for cast members at the Disneyland Resort last week as the new Ambassadors for 2024 – 2025 were announced. Surrounded by their families and friends, as well as fellow cast members and, of course, the Disney Ambassadors who served before, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock announced that Jada Young and Raul Aquino Rojas would soon start their tenure as the Disneyland Ambassadors for 2024-2025! It’s time for this duo to be formally introduced, but we will let Disney Parks Blog do the talking here as they let you in on who these two special people are and how they have come up through the Disney ranks as cast members.
Meet Jada Young
As a native of Long Beach, California, Disneyland Resort has always been a huge part of Jada Young’s upbringing. Aside from her early memories of park days with her family, one of her most memorable experiences would be the first time she got to perform with her middle school show choir at the Royal Theater in Fantasyland at Disneyland park. She anchors herself with gratitude to her village of family and friends and the sacrifices they made so she could have these opportunities.
Jada’s Disney career began in 2017 at the premier tire shop of Radiator Springs, home to Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters in Cars Land. As an attractions cast member, Jada’s leaders have supported her development all around the resort. Throughout the last six years, she’s held leadership roles such as Core Lead and Trainer in both attractions and Special Event Operations. She also worked with the Youth Education Series (Y.E.S.) Program as a facilitator for Disney’s Approach to Leadership and Teamwork. After returning from the resort’s closure, she was a part of the opening team of Avengers Campus and helped kick off the Disney100 celebrations as a Disney Media Rep.
Outside of work, Jada cherishes her time spent with family and friends. She enjoys film, live entertainment, volunteering in her community as an advocate for youth and spending time near the ocean. Jada’s application to the Disney Ambassador Program was rooted in her value for servant leadership and her hope to continue Walt’s legacy of creating a place welcome to all.
Meet Raul Aquino Rojas
Raul Aquino Rojas was born in Zihuatanejo, Mexico and came to the U.S. when he was a year old, and grew up in Lynwood, California. Raul’s childhood was filled with much laughter watching “Winnie the Pooh” and many Disney movies, and he visited Disneyland for the first time when he was 7. The fond memories he made with his family from that visit stayed with him for many years and kept the magic alive for him.
In 2019, Raul began his Disney career as a Disney PhotoPass Photographer at Disneyland Resort. He currently enjoys leading his cast both within Disney Photo Imaging and Guest Show Operations teams. In his spare time, he enjoys tapping into his creative passions through photography and writing. You can often find him on adventures hiking and camping out in nature.
With Jada and Raul becoming the 50th Disney Ambassador team of Disneyland Resort, Mark Everett King Jr. and Nataly Guzman Garcia, the two Disney Ambassadors from 2022-2023, now assume the role as mentors. With two years of experience, dozens of speaking engagements, hundreds of events and thousands of relationships built with cast members, Mark and Nataly appreciated the significance of setting these new Disney Ambassadors up for success.
“What you do is going to have a lasting impact on so many people, so get creative, push the boundaries and have fun. This program is what you make it, so continue to help your fellow cast make the Disneyland Resort the magical place that it is,” Mark shared with Jada and Raul.
We look forward to seeing more of Jada and Raul next year as they made their mark on the Disneyland Ambassador program. Congratulations!