When Anaya Ellick applied to attend Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Va. this year, the school’s superintendent, Ron White, wasn’t sure it could meet her needs. But her parents assured him that Anaya needed no special accommodations — she was just like any other kid in the first grade.

She just happened to be born without hands.

The 7-year-old does not use prosthetics, yet she does all her own writing in class. She stands at her desk and grips the pencil between her forearms. From that angle, she is able to write with perfect penmanship.

Her handwriting is so impeccable that her principal, Tracy Cox, entered her in a national handwriting competition in the category for students with special needs. In April, it was announced that she had beaten 50 other children to win the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship.

To look at her entry, it would be impossible to know it was written by a child without hands. Each block letter is flawless.