SZA stopped by her old high school today in Maplewood, New Jersey to receive her induction of the school's hall of fame. She now joins Lauryn Hill who previously graduated in 1993 and received her induction in 1999.

The singer, who recently pulled out from tour dates due to swollen vocal cords, told her story to her impressionable audience. “Real shit, in high school I thought failing was going to define what good was going to happen to me, I got nominated for five grammys and I didn't win. It's not about not winning, we cracked a billion streams, we sold more albums than people who did win,” she explained. She cites her achievements and past to motivate the high schoolers to reach for their dreams.

Despite her hiatus, the singer performed “The Weekend” but you could barely hear her singing over the crowd – not a bad reception in a place she was once said she felt “unpopular and bullied.” Watch the rest of her motivational speech below.