Fairytale Contest Poll

We've selected our three finalists, and one lucky lady will win the Fairytale Package – find out more below about each

awesome girl and cast your vote from March 16 until 5pm March 20th.

Cassidy Markel

When I saw your post on Facebook, I just knew my daughter Cassidy was the perfect candidate for your Fairytale Package. Not only is Cassidy excelling, but we as a family are going through a hard time as well. Cassidy is a Senior at Ursuline Academy. Her GPA exceeds a 4.0,despite taking mostly honors classes and AP classes. This year she is a 3 sport athlete playing Varsity volleyball, swimming, and tennis. Cassidy leaves our home in Smyrna at 6am to get to school in Wilmington, and some nights she does not get home until 10pm. As you can see, Cassidy is very driven. Volleyball is her primary sport and she started playing competitively at 10 years old. She and her team won a State Championship her Sophomore year, but she’s played in the final 4 at the Bob Carpenter Center each of her 4 years of High School. She has been a First Team All State Setter both her Junior and Senior Year. Cassidy also plays travel volleyball and practices 2-3 nights a week; she travels often for tournaments on the weekends. Volleyball has opened many doors for Cassidy, she has received a full scholarship to attend Florida Southern in the fall to study Nursing. Last year, Cassidy chose to miss her Junior Prom as to not let her Travel Volleyball team down at an out of state volleyball tournament. While it was a difficult decision we both knew she would still have her Senior Prom, and I vowed to make it extra special for her. But unfortunately, I fear I cannot make that happen now. As a Freshman, Cassidy decided to pick up a tennis racket and tried tennis for a second sport. With no previous experience, Cassidy as a singles player has placed 4th in the state the last 3 years. She has just started her final year of Tennis. Lastly, this year with a goal in mind Cassidy decided she’d like to try swimming. Her end goal was to be a strong enough swimmer so that she could lifeguard this summer at the beach. While she didn’t quite make it at the first tryout, she continued to work hard and train and was officially offered a job as a Delaware State Parks Beach Patrol. As you can see, I’m a proud mom. Cassidy has also found time to volunteer in local nursing homes and coach younger future volleyball players. While Cassidy is very vested in her academics, athletics and volunteering, her family means everything to her. In August, my husband and Cassidy’s dad was hospitalized and diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal lung cancer. We were told with no treatment, that he had 2 weeks, with treatment they were hoping for 6 months. My Husband opted for treatment, and after many chemo and radiation treatments, 3 hospital stays, and quite a few ups and downs he’s still fighting for his life 7 months later. The hospital stays, treatments, and prescriptions are adding up, and my Husband no longer is able to work. The bills are piling up, and we will need to sell our house. My promise for Cassidy to have an extra special Senior Prom is out of reach. I’m not certain I can fit a prom dress into our budget, and I know the extras that you are offering are out of the question. So winning this package would not only be a ‘dream come true’ for her, but a relief for me. Thank you for considering. 

Samantha Muza

By the time Sam was 1, she had already had 2 open heart surgeries due to a Congenital Heart Disease called transposition of the great arteries. She spent nearly the first couple years of her life in the hospital, as she needed to continue to have minor surgeries. Due to having a heart condition, Sam knew she was different from everyone and decided to embrace it as well as help others. Sam is involved in many organizations such as the Delaware Down Syndrome Association, Blue-Gold DFRC, Save Down Syndrome, and volunteers for DKMS- End Blood Cancer, and Exceptional Care for children. Sam is also the Unified Track and Field Coach at our high school where she takes great pride in what she does. Not only does Sam perform well on the field, but also off the field in school as well. Sam is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met and she has a heart of pure gold. She wants nothing more than to make a change in the world. Sam sometimes doesn’t see herself as beautiful as she really is. With scars from open heart surgery and a new visible scar from a Pacemaker put in in May, Sam isn’t as confident as I wish she would be. I would love for her to get the chance to get beautified so she can see herself as beautifully as we see her everyday on the inside and out. I don’t believe anyone is more deserving of this than Sam.

Kianna Demi Burgos

Since birth Kianna has always been a fighter. Her strong personality and willingness to do more and be more leave me in awe,often. She has a tenacity and perseverance that most young ladies her age don't possess. She is intelligent; she always maintains great grades in school, and works hard to make them better when she sees herself sliding. She's held a job since she was 15, not because she had to,but because she really wanted to earn her own money, become responsible and not have to ask her parents to buy all the extras a teenage girl "requires" lol. During junior year, she went to school, worked, and competed with her Prostart culinary team to create a 5-star meal and won for the state,which allowed her to represent DE in Nationals. As her senior year approached she chose difficult classes to round out her 4 years,rather than taking the easier classes available to make her senior year "FUN”. Besides being given her dad's old Honda for transportation, she worked very hard to save enough money to put a significant down payment on a beautiful Mustang that she really wanted; she is currently making monthly payments and paying insurance on her car. Besides all of this she is a passionate young lady,who speaks up for herself and doesn't mind having an opinion that isn't the same as everyone else's. She challenges the status quo and keeps her head held high because she doesn't just follow her peers or the crowd. She marches to the beat of a different drum and is ok with what that entails. She's beautiful,not only outside, but inside as well; she really cares about people and does what she can to be supportive, loving and thoughtful towards others. I look at this young lady at the ripe age of 17 and realize that she's leaps and bounds ahead of women twice her age. She is strong, capable, valuable and amazing and she isn't willing to compromise any of that for anyone. She is proud of herself, as she should be...and this is just the beginning. I cannot wait to see what her future holds,but I guarantee you this, I won't be the only one in her cheering section,because everyone will know the name Kianna Demí Burgos one day,she's just that good!