Anaya Ellick
A brilliant first-grader born without hands beats 50 of her peers to win a national handwriting competition.
In this extraordinary story, a teenage girl born without hands has proved that nothing is impossible. She beat about 50 other contestants to emerge winner of the National handwriting competition.
But how can someone without hands the most beautiful handwriting? Well, Anaya Ellick proved that you can achieve your dreams through hard work.
Anaya holds her pencil in between her two arms and stands at her desk, in order to have the proper angle for her to write.
She chose to teach herself this method rather than learn to use prosthetics.
As the principal of Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Tracy Cox, told ABC News: 'There is truly very little that this girl cannot do.'
'She is a hard worker. She is determined. She is independent.
'She is a vivacious and a no-excuses type of young lady.'
It was Cox who entered Anaya for the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship.
The national Handwriting Contest is an annual event sponsored by Zaner-Bloser to promote legible handwriting, and Anaya managed to win first prize.
Anaya's parents, Bianca and Gary admit, are incredibly proud of their daughter, who they said has always been precocious - tying her shoes, getting herself ready, and attempting to do things herself before asking for help, MailOnline reports.
The young teen is doing amazingly well. Her parents have expressed confidence in her ability to overcome her impairment, which she continues to do each day.