Sonya Eskridge is a writer from Maryland, who started her news career in radio at the age of 17. After graduating from Virginia Tech, she went on to write for a national publication where she was able to mold her personal voice. Always looking for ways to inform on important issues—or share her love of nerdy and girly things—Sonya thoroughly enjoys writing about a wide range of subjects.

One young girl has used her creativity to battle negative self-image and find the joy in reading–and she was greatly rewarded for her efforts!

Natalie McGriff, 7, took home a huge prize at One Spark for her comic book The Adventures of Moxie Girl. One Spark is a huge crowd-funding festival, and they raised enough coins to give Natalie $16,000 for her comic book.

The Adventures Of Moxie Girl is about a Black girl who hates her hair. However, after using some magical shampoo, her curls develop super abilities. She then uses her afro puffs to fight for literacy and save the Jacksonville Public Libraries from a pack of hungry monsters looking to gobble it up.

MUST READ: BEAUTIFUL NEWS: Michigan Teen Earns 3 College Degrees In High School & Is Also The Most Amazing Person Ever

Natalie wrote the comic book with the help of her mom, Angie Nixon. As it turns out, the inspiration for The Adventures of Moxie Girl came from Natalie’s own life, and Nixon was hoping the story could help her daughter feel better about herself.

“I decided to help Natalie write this book because she was having self-esteem issues regarding her hair and she hated to read,” Angie said in a statement. “She now realizes how powerful and awesome her hair is and that in order for her to write a cool book, she needs to read more books and learn different words.”

It wasn’t an easy path to victory for Natalie. Her comic book was one of 530 entries at One Spark, and the attendees had to vote on which ones they liked best. Of the 300,000 people who came out, 117,169 of them cast ballots. Natalie won by just three votes, but the point is that she won, further proving that Black girls (of all ages) rock! Congrats, Natalie!

READ MORE:

BEAUTIFUL NEWS: Russell Westbrook Donates His Car To A Single Mother

BEAUTIFUL NEWS: Two Long-Lost Sisters Find Each Other After 16 Years & Establish The First Wine Company By Women

BEAUTIFUL NEWS: 10-Year-Old Mikaila Ulmer Got A Sweet $60 K Investment From ‘Shark Tank’

Also On HelloBeautiful: