Serenna has been bullied because of her medical and intellectual disabilities. The kids in school try to make her do things because they think it’s funny and because she has an intellectual disability they know they can manipulate her easily. When she tries to talk to kids at school, they yell at her to shut up or swear at her. She is often lonely and sad because she doesn’t have many friends and doesn’t understand why.  She is self-conscious about standing up for herself and telling people it’s not okay to be mean to her. She is afraid of going to school because people will think she is different from them.

Serenna loves fire and wants to be a firefighter when she grows up. This gave Casey the idea to do lighting painting fire for her personal photoshoot. (SIDE NOTE) Light painting is a long-exposure photography technique that uses a moving light source, like a flashlight or glow stick, to "paint" light onto a scene or create shapes and patterns within a photograph. While the camera's shutter is open for an extended period, the photographer moves the light source to add illumination, color, or patterns, effectively using the light as a brush on the camera's shutter "canvas".   

For the fire portion of her photoshoot , Serenna picked out our parachute dress that looks like it’s burnt. So, we did the fire look and showed her the back of the camera which looked super-cool. Casey also had a few other designs that she wanted to try. She did an image of a Phoenix rising wings. When I showed her mom on the back of the camera, she completely burst into tears! Casey wasn’t sure if it were happy or sad tears until her mom pointed to a tattoo of a rising phoenix on her arm. 

Serenna found that the experience has helped her to make new friends, and she is able to look at herself in a new, beautiful light that makes her less worried about any bullies at school - they can’t hurt her anymore. She will miss her new friends the most. Her favorite photoshoot was the self-defense session, and her favorite moment was when they all got to hang out and have s’mores. To anyone considering the Fearless Spirit model crew, Serenna says that the whole experience is worth it, especially for this moment. Serenna hopes that she will get to see Casey and all of her friends again soon. 

What Serenna’s mom had to say:

“Serenna’s experience with the Fearless Spirit Model Crew has been amazing. Watching her grow and change has really warmed my heart and being able to capture these moments in photographs is such a blessing. We are grateful that someone like Serenna, with disabilities had an atmosphere with not only strong female role models but also wonderful young ladies who not only understood what Serenna had been through with the bullying but always accepted and included her despite her hardships. To see the magic Serenna, Ms. Casey and all of the girls in fearless spirit crew have created is truly beautiful! I know that the confidence she gained in the last 8 months will only continue to grow and this is an experience that she will carry with her for a lifetime.” 

We are so grateful for the program and it's so beautiful to see the girls that return year after year because you hold a special place in their hearts. I couldn't have asked for a more bad ass, strong, creative woman to be a role model for my daughter and I will always be so thankful for what you and the girls did for her 🥰