Vote for Queen of the Fair

Miss Sussex: Rylee Hand

High Point alum Rylee attends Artistic Academy, where she works to pursue her dream of eventually opening up her own hair salon in Sussex. She is a national winner of the Future Business Leaders of America award and continues to serve her community with the community garden she built in Sussex Borough. In her free time, she enjoys activities like fishing, welding and spending time with friends and family.

Miss Hopatcong: Madelyn Ausmus

Madelyn attends Hapatcong High School and plans to one day become an oncology surgeon. She is the senior class president, a member of the National Honors Society and also performs in both varsity and competitive cheer. When she is not working toward her academic or athletic goals, she enjoys painting and orchestral music, and is an avid swimmer, working as a swim coach and lifeguard.

Miss Montague: Mina Lin

Sussex County Technical High School alum Mina attends the University of Michigan, where she is working toward a career in finance. She hopes to use her education to grow small businesses one day. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a recipient of the Superintendent’s Roundtable Award and a three-time recipient of the Coaches Award for Track and Field. Dedicated to service, she volunteers with local food banks and also held a fundraiser for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Miss Byram: Kylee McCracken

An avid animal-lover, Kylee graduated from Lenape Valley Regional High School and plans to study zoology to become an animal veterinarian or pursue further research at Delaware Valley University. She works at Wild West City as an actor and an animal caretaker. She fosters dogs through St. Huberts and is the recipient of some notable awards, like the Sussex County Guidance Association’s Caring Award and the 2025 Sportsmanship Award for Lacrosse. She also plays field hockey and lacrosse and, in tandem with her love for animals, does horseback riding.

Miss Ogdensburg: Kayla De Meo

Having earned a degree in elementary education earlier this year at Montclair State University, Kayla plans to complete a master’s degree in speech language pathology, hoping to one day establish a tutoring community and provide help for children at a low cost. She graduated from Wallkill Valley Regional High School and currently works at Ogdensburg Elementary School as an Occupation Paraprofessional and a substitute teacher. She is also a volunteer coach for Ogdensburg Recreational Soccer and Basketball.

Miss Vernon: Dylan Seidner

Dylan will graduate next year from Vernon Township High School with her cosmetology license in hand, and plans to study business in college. She is the proud winner of an Outstanding Academic Excellence Award and is a volunteer teacher at a local dance studio. A gifted dancer, she has won several awards in the art form and also does horseback riding. In her spare time, you might be able to find her cooking, hiking or shopping for antiques.

Miss Wantage: Gianna Kimkowski

Gianna attends High Point Regional High School and looks forward to studying mechanical engineering in college. Distinguished in her variety of academic and athletic accomplishments, Gianna is vice president of the Student Council, a member of the Tri-M National Honor Society and is a varsity tri-athlete. She demonstrates a commitment to both her faith and community through volunteer work with Vacation Bible School and the local library. Gianna shows even more versatility as the drum major for the marching band and also enjoys reading, archery and running.

Miss Sandyston: Aubrey White

Aubrey is a student at both Sussex County Technical School and Sussex County Community College. She plans to eventually become a material science engineer so that one day, her work can advance space technology and exploration. At Sussex Tech, Aubrey started the Mu Alpha Theta Chapter, which provides a space for students to explore advanced mathematics and greater levels of academic enrichment. She also established and led a county-wide STEM program for young people. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, kayaking and camping.

Miss Stillwater: Aylia Mahon

Seeking a future as an emergency room or flight nurse practitioner, Ayila is a Kittatinny Regional High School alum attending Moravian University. She is the class of 2026 president of her university’s United Student Government and served as Zeta Tau Alpha’s Panhellenic Delegate and Historian/Reporter. She organized Greek life and philanthropy-centered events in support of Breast Cancer awareness, advocates for mental health and peer leadership, and works on educational programming for students. Aylia is Narcan and Concussion and Protocol Disaster trained and CPR certified. In her free time, she enjoys sailing.

Miss Frankford: Cadence Strehl

High Point alum Cadence attends University of Tampa with plans to one day design her own fashion brand and establish herself within the industry. In high school, she was a member of the National Honors Society and an AP scholar. Cadence was a finalist for the NJ National American Miss Pageant, the Art Educators of NJ NJPAC exhibit and Sally D. Francisco Gallery exhibit. As a fashion industry hopeful, she enjoys sewing and designing clothes, as well as athletic activities like running and yoga.

Miss Hamburg: Kiyah Morales

Sussex County Technical High School graduate Kiyah plans to attend Sussex County Community College for two years. Uplifting her community over the years in various ways, Kiyah has volunteered with Confident Closet and prepared Thanksgiving baskets for those in need. A lover of the natural world, she has won first place for horticulture exposition flower designs in the “throwing bouquet” category and looks forward to taking care of her mini garden in her spare time.

Miss Fredon: Hanna Olsen

With ambitions to open her own business post-graduation, Hanna took her academic strides from Kittatinny Regional High School to the University of Tennessee. In high school, she was captain of varsity basketball and soccer teams and was an officer on the Student Council. She has volunteered as a trainer for Fredon Recreational Soccer Team and helped out with their events. Hanna loves to travel and spend time with family, while staying involved with clubs and sports.

Miss Branchville: Destiny Titus

Planning to enlist in the U.S. Army, Destiny is in the process of finishing her GED at High Point Regional High School. In addition to volunteering with the Sparta Food Pantry, Destiny also gives back to her community by cleaning up various walking trails, where she enjoys spending her time. Destiny prides herself with her decision to set aside her schooling for some time to be there for her family when they needed her. In her down time, she likes to play video games and stream to online followers, while setting aside space for nature.

Miss Andover: Chesney Walsh

Newton High School alum Chesney is now a student at DeSales University, where she hopes to build a career in business and politics and someday live close to the ocean. She worked as the media manager and publicist for several school organizations and volunteered with the Weekend Bag Program volunteer. She is a peer leader to underclassmen, and also coordinates food drives to help local families. In her free time, Chesney enjoys creating social media content, reading and playing softball.

Miss Stanhope: Samantha Krauklis

Lenape Valley Regional High School Class of 2025 salutatorian, Samantha, is taking her academic prowess to Rutgers University, where she will make strides toward a career as a pediatric dentist. Vice president of the National Honors Society and a recipient of faculty awards for English and mathematics, she also made her mark within her broader community by organizing a charity basketball tournament for Unified Sports Teams across Sussex County. She also helped plan a donation drive for Birth Haven in Newton. Samantha has a seal of biliteracy in German and likes to dance, play guitar and crochet.

Miss Hampton: Kasandra Santiago

Kasandra, of Kittatiny Regional High School, is a standout student. She earned both the Presidential Award and was nominated as an All American cheerleader. Currently working at Zoltek Advanced Dentistry, Kasandra plans to pursue a college degree in dental hygiene. She demonstrates a strong commitment to her community serving as an EMS Cadet with Hampton Fire Department. She is also a member and advisor assistant for Interact Club. In her free time, Kasandra can be found baking, doing hair and makeup, or designing and decorating.

Miss Hardyston: Sara Coscia

Sara is a Sussex County Technical School alum and a current student at Dickinson College. She plans to work in a museum as a collections manager one day. She is on the Dean’s List, and this upcoming school year, she will serve as Fellowship Coordinator of Dickinson College’s APO Chapter and Parliamentarian of the college’s crochet club. Alongside crocheting, she always enjoys fishing and indoor gardening. Over the past three years, Sara has completed over 300 community service hours in Sussex County and is a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program on her campus. In Dec. 2023, she was named 102.3 WSUS student of the month and has received several art awards from the fair in previous years.

Miss Franklin: Lily Parker

Lily, a high-achieving student at Sussex County Tech, is co-president of Key Club, vice president of the Northern New Jersey Youth Advisory Board, and a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. Dedicating over 50 hours of community service yearly, she volunteers at local food pantries and assists with the school play at Franklin Borough school. Dedicated to martial arts, Lily has been student of the year for two years in a row at Pace Institute of Karate, and was the first female instructor at United Martial Arts Centers in Vernon. When she isn’t at martial arts or volunteering, Lily enjoys promoting safe and healthy coping mechanisms for young children. Lily hopes to obtain a BFA in Fashion Design in the future.

Miss Newton: Danielle Penny

Danielle, a Summa Cum Laude graduate from Newton High School and former National Honor Society chapter secretary, is now a Dean’s List student at Drew University. She plans to earn her doctorate degree and work toward a career in museum curation. In high school, Danielle created an after-school reading program, collected book donations and hosted a free “Book Adoption” event during Children’s Day at the fair last year. She also brought the Safe-Comm Sensory Bag Program to the Newton Police Department. Danielle earned the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, the “Women in STEM” Scholarship Award from the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation (2023 & 2024), and was selected as a Jefferson Award Honoree for Volunteer Service by the Governor of New Jersey.

Miss Green Township: Sofia Garibaldi

Sofia, a Newton High School Summa Cum Laude graduate, will attend Coastal Carolina University in the fall and major in business administration. She was secretary for her high school’s Future Business Leaders of America, and is a dedicated athlete. Sofia earned a varsity letter for her four years on the swim team, was named athlete of the month and volunteered as a swim coach at Lake Tranquility. She gave back through the Weekend Bag Program at Merriam Avenue School and at the First Baptist Church’s food pantry and clothing ministry. When she isn’t swimming or volunteering, she enjoys shopping.

Miss Lafayette: Sophie Schaeffner

Glen Ridge High School honor roll student, Sophie, is the secretary of both the Computer Science Honor Society and Key Club. She is a member of Spanish Honor Society, and competed in the Chemistry Olympics. Sophie is also involved in the Technology Student Association, where she placed first in NJ and ranked seventh nationally for Promotional Marketing. A two-time local day champion at the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, Sophie volunteers at Newton Medical Center and teaches students about computer science. In her free time she enjoys training and caring for competitive show horses and assisting on her family’s farm. She also organizes horseless horse show events to make equestrian sports accessible to those who cannot financially afford horses. In the future, she plans to attend college and ride on an NCAA equestrian team.