(CNN) People may look at Anaya Ellick and see a child who'll have a lifetime of challenges. But a second look at her reveals a girl who's providing a lifetime of inspiration.

Anaya, 7, was born with no hands and doesn't use prosthetics, yet earlier this week she won a national handwriting contest.

Anaya, a first-grader at Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Virginia, received the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship. It's all part of the National Handwriting Contest sponsored by Zaner-Bloser, an educational company that's run the competition for 25 years to promote legible handwriting.

In order to write, Anaya holds a pencil between her arms and stands at her desk to get the right angle for writing.

Independent at home, too

Read More