When seventh-grader Camila Blank’s mother first told her that she had won the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, Blank was “really surprised.”

“I thought my mom was joking,” Blank said. “I didn’t think I could do it.”

American Protégé is an organization that aims to showcase “young musicians, actors and singers on the path to a successful career,” according to its website. Because Blank won the competition, she will perform in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in June.

“I really enjoy doing a lot of competitions and performances,” Blank said. “It’s this weird feeling that I get when I play…I feel really nervous but really, really excited. I have so much control over what’s going to happen, and it feels really precise.”

Blank is a member of both middle school and upper school orchestra at Archer and takes music lessons outside of school. She said that she has learned about the importance of hard work through her playing.

“There aren’t really any shortcuts,” she said. “You have to do it the long, hard way if you want it to be done right.”

Blank played for an assembly of middle schoolers after she learned she had won the competition. Watch the video above to view footage from the assembly.