Jamey McDowell

My name is Jamey McDowell, and I am a rising sophomore from Jackson, Mississippi. I am currently studying math-economics. I have always loved math but mostly blame Dave Ollar for really revealing passion in middle school. He would post cyphering problems on the projector and would then give out quarters to whoever finished the problem first really combining my competitiveness with learning in a way that no teacher ever had. I became interested in the Disney trip when I heard that the math department would be putting on a May-X, and when I heard the class would take place at Disney world, I immediately began the application. This will be my third trip to Disney; for my first I was in second grade and too young to remember much, and for the second I was in fifth grade and was really able to appreciate much more of what Disney has to offer it. This trip, I hope to see how they managed to so captivate me during the first two trips. I look forward to learning the behind-the-scenes dirty work in how Disney manages to use math and engineering in such unfathomable ways that one might mistake their ingenious work for actual magic.

Favorite Restaurants

If I had to pick restaurants, first and foremost I would choose Les Chefs de France. I went to this restaurant on my second trip and have the distinct memory of trying escargot for my first and only time (so far). But I wouldn't mind giving it another shot, either just to see what I've been missing out on or to come to the realization that eating snails is just not right. For the second restaurant, I would choose Coppa Delizia, where I first tried gelato, just to see if it has remained as good as I remembered it in second grade. Lastly, I would choose 'Ohana, probably more because I loved Lilo and Stitch growing up than because of the food. We visited the restaurant during one of my first two Disney visits, but I don't remember much from the food because I was so caught up in the atmosphere.

Favorite Rides

I have always loved rides and always will. I definitely plan on riding Rockin' Roller Coaster at least twice during the trip. On my first WDW visit, the ride got stuck while we were literally upside down during the loop. As a second grader, obviously I was terrified. After the ride though, all I wanted was to do the ride again. Unfortunately the ride ran smoothly and has been every time since.  This was my first ever real roller coaster, and it will always hold a special place for me. The second ride I look forward to is Expedition Everest. A slightly newer installment, this ride wasn't available until my second trip to Disney World. We came at a funny time of year, however, so my father and I managed to go through the line four times in one hour. Not only the thrill aspect but also the architecture amaze me every time I go down the ride, which I plan on doing several times during the course. For my third choice, I am going to do the Lilo and Stitch ride. Not really much of a thriller, the main reason that I choose this one is so that whenever I get hungry in the park, I can just have Stitch burp on me and make me lose my appetite, thereby saving a solid $10. Plus I loved the movie and the TV show growing up. But honestly I hope to go on every ride during my stay, just some more often than others. I love all the rides (maybe not it's a small world) and hope to visit every one. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to take this course and hope to both learn a lot and to have fun exploring Walt Disney World.