"...When we first moved here from Africa, my dad worked at a construction company and my mom attended ROP classes to become a nursing assistant. We had to depend on my dad's income, which was barely enough to pay the house rent... I offered to get a job in order to help him out with raising my siblings, but he said that I should spend my evenings after school doing my assignments, reading my books and then taking care of my siblings. Just as soon as my mom finished her schooling and managed to get a job, my father was fired from his job... When I became a senior, I made up my mind that I was definitely going to attend my senior prom. I have saved enough for the ticket, but I'm not sure about my clothing. I may not be the prom queen on that day, and I don't want to be the best dressed on that day, all I need is a beautiful prom dress to put on... Thanks for giving me this wonderful opportunity. It means a lot to me."

"...It is my junior year and I started this year off at a new school, because the last one wasn't really working out for me. I was looking forward to starting sports and making new friends at this school... All my life I have known there was a chance that I wouldn't be able to play sports due to the fact that I have been in and out of the hospital constantly since birth because of three heart defects that I was born with. Probably a month into the start of the school year my mother called my heart specialist to get permission for me to lift weights in athletics. That one simple call made all my expectations that I had for my whole year come crashing down on me like a ton of bricks, and made me burst into tears. Getting softball, volleyball and basketball taken away from me was the worst thing that could have ever happened in my life... Many people at school still don't know who I am because wasn't able to play any sports and be in the spotlight at anytime. So I hope that maybe you will grant me my wish and make me the "spotlight" for one night. That would take my year over the top to know that for one night I was shining and had all eyes on me!"

"Not only am I the youngest daughter of three girls, but I am also the first and only one in our family to make it all the way through my senior year, and will graduate this June... Ever since my freshman year I have dreamed of my senior prom and the dress that I would wear... The apartment we have been renting for the last six years is part of a three-family house that my uncle owned. But, because my uncle has lost the property we are being evicted and will be homeless very soon. Both of my parents are disabled and therefore have a very limited income from social security disability. My parents are sending me to stay with my oldest sister so that I can stay in school,but there is not extra room for them, so they don't have a place to go... I know my parents want the very best for me, but I just can't ask them to sacrifice any more than they already have... Please be my Fairy Godmother and with a wave of your magic want over my tattered clothing turn me into the glowing princess I have always dreamed of being for senior prom, and the princess my family have treated me like my entire life."

"...While this is my last year as a senior, many people think that it is the year to relax, I have been stressfully caught up in 6 Advanced Placement classes to prepare for the 6 college-level exams this May. I come to school every morning feeling tired from staying up late studying, and I never had a chance to show the senior class that I am pretty beneath the stress... What will I take with me from my high school years? I then realize that when the day comes to share the yearbook for the last time, I will not have one to capture the moments; I will not have senior pictures to share and trade with everyone, simply because my family could never afford these types of things... My parents never had the opportunity to obtain well paying jobs since they started raising the whole family the day they were refugees to America. They rarely could afford things I wanted; only what I needed like necessities for school... I do not want my high school days to end with a simple graduation, and I do not want my senior class to take with them an image of a studious and plain Linda, but a beautiful and vivacious Linda! To me, Prom is not a yearbook, bound together by a hardcover and glue, and definitely not a studio photo to share and trade; Prom is an experience when a girl can feel and be a Cinderella, something that is bound by dreams that only come true in Disney movies."

"...I am the youngest of 3 daughters. My mother could not take care of me; therefore my uncle adopted me at the age of 2 months. He has been a father and a mother figure for me all my life. Though he's my uncle, I consider him a father and I love him so much for all that he's done for my sisters and me. He has sacrificed much in his life to provide the best for his 3 daughters. I know that this task was not easy for him mentally & emotionally. He has cooked, cleaned, groomed and supportedus on his own with no assistance. His main priority has been his 3 daughters and he has put his personal life on hold to be the best father for us...Being able toparticipate in this opportunity not only benefits me, it will also be a great benefitto my father. Not only would this project relieve financial stress to my father,it would allow me to honor and thank him for his strength and courage as a singleparent. Every woman has dreams of being Cinderella; this would be my chance to wear my glass slipper."

"...This May I will go to my Senior Prom-that magical night everyone speaks about...Every girl will be in her dress that she bought from some store in the local mall and some will be more expensive than others, yet all from the same stores...I will dance no matter what I wear and I will probably blend in with the small crowd because everyone knows me; I don't tend to stick out. I wasn't voted class clown or best legs. On the contrary, all I have is good grades and a good group of friends...But this year, for my senior year, I want to be different. I want to go somewhere in style and have not only my friends notice me, but everyone else who has never noticed me before...Instead of staying home and doing homework like my other friend, I want to be at my Senior Prom having the time of my life, and maybe everyone who gets my name wrong will get it right that night. It won't matter if I have a limo ora nice purse. If I'm in a beautiful dress, I know for sure it will be a magical night."

"...The reason I think that I qualify for the Cinderella Project is because I am hard working, athletic and nice. I receive good grades and want to exceed in life...I live on a farm and that is where I have worked since I can last remember...I work summers on the farm and after school except for when I play sports. My brother and I have our own little business that we run during the summer. We sell sweet corn for about 2 weeks to receive a little extra cash... I am a nice person who needs money to buy my dress. Winning this would help me to have the best prom I could possibly have."

"...When I was born my twin sister and I were diagnosed with cerebral palsy...We had many obstacles... Well, despite the odds, we surprised them all, taking our first steps at age 2...When I was in eighth grade, I underwent bilateral major foot reconstruction. In order to correct the problem, my doctor had to break both my feet and rearrange some of the bones. It took a full year of wearing casts, enduring crutches and braces and once again being "different"...At the age of 18, with highschool ending and college looming, I have learned that dreams can come true, foe is willing to work hard and not give up hope...Nothing has been easy but with determination I have been able to overcome what many take for granted...I hope that you will consider my essay. For one night, I want to be able to look and dance like Cinderella!"

"...I am so excited for prom this year because it is one of the biggest events I have to look forward to in my high school years... But I have been considering not going because my mom can't afford to pay for that dress of my dreams...My small family and I have been through so many trials and hardships together and money has always been a soft spot. Any dress that my sister and I have had for school dances are hand-me-down's or plain dresses that happened to be on sale.
My mother has done an amazing job of raising us, we are straight A students, athletes and club presidents. I know my mom wants to do more, and buy me the things in life that would be so awesome to have, but she can't.
So Windsor, please pick me as your Cinderella. I want to look beautiful at my first prom, with my first boyfriend and my first opportunity to be a Cinderella and have everyone watching me.

"...I feel that if I don't get help from somewhere then I won't be able to go to my own senior prom, which is a once in a lifetime chance...My mom will not be able to help me out with the costs because she is a single parent raising six children,four of her own in one household. My mom does her best to provide for the family with a minimum wage job as a casino booth cashier? We currently have no outside financial help, so my sister and I help out around the house as much as possible with things such as maintaining housework, babysitting and providing my mom with money as much as possible. My father never helped us with child support, so it makes it even harder on my mom to support us all with only one income coming in...Thank you for considering me as a candidate for your Cinderella project."

"Being a middle child, I never got to feel any glory of being "the oldest" or "the youngest" because as you know being in the middle, it sometimes has you just left out...I finally just wanted a chance to do something that could be about me and only about me. With this being my last year in high school I decided to go into the army...Although all of this is exciting to me there is that one night that everyone waits for in their senior year and that's prom...My mom just lost her job middle of last year and together as a family we're still pulling ourselves along...my best friend dragged me to the mall and into Windsor where I saw the sign for the Cinderella Project...if I do make it into the army and get sent away I can always look at that picture that I have from prom, and thank Windsor everyday for making that night a guarantee."

"My mother is a single mom who works as hard as she can to buy me not only the things I need but sometimes the things I want. I love clothes and of course the latest styles. I don't always get the things that I want because it just isn't possible but I am hoping that with your help I can. I have dreamt about prom since I was a little girl playing dress up in my mom's closet. This is a memory that I can have for the rest of my life, a memory that will be shared with my mom. I don't want her to have to struggle to make this particular dream of mine come true. Thank you."

"Every girl is going to remember their high school dance. But for me, it will be more than just remembering, for I have a different story. This could be my last dance with my friends at my school because, sadly, I'm going to be placed into a residential home for teens my age...This is why I want to remember this dance as one of the most gorgeous realities that has ever been embedded in my mind. I can just imagine dancing the night away with the dress of my dreams on this special night...Wearing this dress would definitely help to make my dream for this night a reality."

"Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to make my dreams come true."