Over 800 students at Manhattan’s Martin Luther King Jr. High School were in for a surprise when Keri Hilson hit the stage on their campus to perform “Turnin’ Me On” and “Knock You Down” as part of the Get Schooled National Challenge and Tour. The kick-off event, which also featured appearances from Pharrell and Ludacris, engaged students in a conversation about what their biggest challenges are in school.

“Education is the key to success,” stated the blonde bomshell. “It’s the freedom to choose your jobs. It’s the difference a lot of times between a high paying job or a low paying job, a very, very, very small humble abode or a big, big, big mansion. All the things that you desire, it’s the key to the freedom of choosing and the freedom of having these things.”