Meet Sara Hinesley—the incredibly talented 10-year-old who was born without hands. She has just won a national handwriting competition!
She arrived to the U.S. from China just four years ago, and in that time, she has acquired many skills.
Sara quickly picked up English with her sister Veronica’s help, and can also read and write in Mandarin.
But what’s most impressive of all, is that despite her limitations, she draws, paints and sculpts at school.
Her handwriting has impressed others enough to have landed her a national prize.
Despite being born without hands, Sara picked up cursive handwriting this year and described it as “kind of easy.”
The young girl, a third-grade pupil at St. John’s Regional Catholic School in Frederick, Md., bagged the 2019 Nicholas Maxim award for her beautiful cursive handwriting.
Her teachers are astonished by her determination to do well at anything put her way!
Cheryl Churilla, Sara’s third-grade teacher, told the Washington Post, “I have never heard this little girl say, ‘I can’t,’ she’s a little rock star.
“She tackles absolutely everything you can throw at her, and she gives it her best.”
Sara is the first from her school to have won the prestigious award, which is given to two students with special needs every year.
HEARTWARMING | ICYMI: Sara Hinesley, a 10-year-old Maryland girl born without hands won a handwriting contest that recognized her for her excellence in cursive. https://t.co/Q794mFqTiX
— WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@wjz) April 20, 2019
One award is given for script writing, while one is for print.
And although Sara could make her life easier with the help of prosthetics, she is extremely independent and always rejects the idea when her mom, Cathryn Hinesley, offers.
“She has this independent streak where she just knows that she can do it and she’ll figure out her own way,” her mom told the Washington Post.
“Sara is beautiful and strong and mighty just the way she is, and she just lives that way. She really does.”
She describes cursive handwriting like creating “art” and says she likes how “letters are formed”.
Using her arms, she grips the pencil and concentrates on forming the different lines and curves of the letters.
“Sara moves through life in this way that you never really see her as having a disability because she has this can-do, I-can-tackle-anything attitude,” her mom said.
“She is a testament to perseverance and the human spirit. Every day I’m amazed at the things she is able to do and that she chooses to do.
“Sara doesn’t try to find her way to avoid an obstacle, she finds a way to complete the task,” she added.
The talented young lady will be presented with a trophy and a cash prize of $500 on June 13.
Congratulations Sara! You’re truly an inspiration to us all and a reminder to never give up no matter what life throws at us.
Credit: The Washington Post
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