05/20/2026
Reminiscing on Hershey Park 🍫🎢 !!!
See what DBMD student Zi Yun had to say about the experience below ⬇️⬇️
On April 19, I went to Hershey Park with the DBMD program, and it turned out to be one of those days that feels easy but stays in your memory.
The first thing I noticed was the smell — the whole park literally smells like chocolate. We ended up getting dessert before anything else , and I got a chocolate ice cream that looked pretty normal but was actually a full sugar bomb. Way too sweet, but I still finished it.
Then came the roller coasters. I used to have an annual pass for amusement parks back in China, and I’ve always loved roller coasters, so I thought I’d be completely fine. But the rides here are definitely more intense — the kind where you slowly climb up and start mentally preparing yourself before the drop. I caught myself doing that every single time.
What surprised me the most was the kids. There were small kids riding the same roller coasters, completely fearless, while I was over here taking deep breaths. It was funny, but also kind of impressive.
Later on, I started reading a bit more about Hershey, and it made the whole experience feel different. Hershey wasn’t just built as a theme park. It started with Milton Hershey, who founded the chocolate company and then built an entire town around it for his workers. Together with his wife, Catherine, he focused a lot on philanthropy, especially education. They founded the Milton Hershey School, which still supports children in need today. A large part of the company’s success was actually redirected into these charitable efforts.
Knowing this made me see the place differently. It’s still a theme park, still fun and a little chaotic, but there’s also this quieter story behind it, about building something bigger than just a business. I think that’s what stayed with me the most.
