The Elon Cafeteria Worker Finally Got Her Dream Trip to Disney (and Met Mickey!)

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In the latest installment of "Things That Make Us Silently Weep at Our Desk," students at Elon University gifted their beloved cafeteria worker with a fully funded trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. It all started when the longtime Elon employee, Kathryn Thompson, remarked to students Taylor Zisholtz and Lucy Smith-Williams that she had always dreamed of taking her family to Disney World. She told them, "I just want that so badly. I have never been anywhere but here." The students saw that as an opportunity to go full Disney and make her wish come true.

Zisholtz and Smith-Williams immediately got started on a GoFundMe campaign to raise enough money for Thompson, her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons to visit Walt Disney World at a date of their choosing. In less than a month, their goal of $6,500 was made.

The two students ended up surprising Thompson at the end of her shift, at which point she immediately started crying — at which point, so did we. Through tears, she said, "Just to see my grandson's eyes when he sees Mickey . . . " We totally understand; Mickey tends to have that effect on people.

Well, Thompson finally made her Disney debut (and met Mickey!). A recent video shows Thompson's heartwarming trip to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida with her daughter and grandchildren.

In the video, Thompson meets Mickey at long last, who exclaims, "It's been too long!" Thompson is then surprised by the two students, Zisholtz and Smith-Williams, who decided to join Thompson on her special day at the park. The sweetest moment, however, comes later when Thompson, through tears, expresses, "They'll never know how much this means to me."