‘Don’t ever stop’: Woman credits persistence for American Idol golden ticket

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Cassie Ortiz is living the adage that dreams don’t work unless you do.

At 21 years old, Ortiz teaches vocals at the School of Rock in Coral Springs. The Florida Atlantic University student is also majoring in music engineering and business marketing.

And when Ortiz is not teaching or studying, she is working as a waitress. She somehow finds time for auditions. Most recently, she traveled to Nashville and earned an American Idol golden ticket.

“There is nothing else in my life that I have ever tried or I think that I could do that could make me as happy as singing does,” Ortiz said.

Since she was a little girl, Ortiz invested time with The Spark Musical Theater, which focuses on youth programs, and she said this has given her confidence on stage.

“Theater is what drew me out and that’s how I found out I can even sing,” she said.

Ortiz said she had auditioned for shows like American Idol before, but since she kept on getting rejected she decided to stop, but not for long. Her perseverance paid off.

“Don’t ever stop because you might get a ‘No!’ five times in a row — but that 6th time is going to be a ‘Yes!’ — but you are not going to know unless you keep going,” Ortiz said, adding her goal is to be a full-time musician.

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Christina Vazquez

Christina Vazquez

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."