A Chesapeake, Virginia girl — who was born without hands — has won the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship, beating out thousands of kids nationwide.
WVEC reports that Anaya Ellick is a first grader at Greenbrier Christian Academy. The young girl has overcome many odds in spite of not having any hands. Remarkably, Anaya does not use prosthetic limbs.
She writes by holding a pencil between her two arms. She also stands up to get a better writing angle.
” ‘Out of this world’, people always say ‘oh my gosh she is beyond her years how she speaks, everything that she does,’ ” mother, Bianca Middleton told WVEC.
Anaya won the top prize by competing against thousands of elementary students. According to the penmanship competition sponsor, Zaner-Bloser, an estimated 300,000 students participate in the contest each year.
“Anaya is a remarkable young lady. She does not let anything get in the way of doing what she has set out to do,” says GCA principal Tracy Cox. “She is a hard worker and has some of the best handwriting in her class.”
Middleton describes her daughter as “vibrant and independent” and says she is inspired by her fortitude and resilience.
