Trey Songz knows all about the ills of heading back to school after a summer of chilling out with friends and vacationing; he graduated high school before pursuing his lauded singing career. In an effort to make a group of Cleveland students back-to-school experience more enjoyable, the Virginia native chose to surprise them as they began their fall semester.

Students at the East Tech High School in Cleveland, Ohio were greeted to a guest appearance by Trey on Thursday morning (Aug. 26). The crooner joined District Chief Executive Officer Eugene Sanders as he made his last rounds at East Tech.

During the assembly, the “Bottoms Up” singer encouraged the teens to believe in themselves and to act on their dreams. He went on to inform them that they must not only be present physically at school, but mentally as well.

“The years you spend in these halls, in these classrooms, will most likely determine your character, what you do for the rest of your life,” said Trey. “You’ve got to take it as seriously as possible.”

Before leaving to hit a scheduled performance at Cleveland’s State Theatre, Songz visited students in their classrooms.