Jamaican-American actress Sheryl Lee Ralph got the surprise of her life through a phone call. She was nominated for the Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her role as Barbara Howard in the ABC show Abbott Elementary in July.

The Emmy nominee expressed to the L.A. Times how it feels to receive the nomination after 50 years in the business.

“I put in the time. I did the work,” Ralph told

the L.A. Times. “And I didn’t just do the work for myself. I did the word for others.”

According to the 65-year-old entertainment veteran, she has never been invited to the Emmys and never received an award. So, for her to be given her well-deserved flowers “means everything” for her.

“I thought about things like this: ‘How can I be in this industry so long and I never get an invitation to the Emmys? Why don’t they invite me? Why can’t I present something?” Ralph wondered. “I wasn’t thinking: ‘How come I haven’t been nominated?’ It’s more like, ‘Can you invite me to the party?’”

While she’s being recognized as the strict Abbott Elementary kindergarten teacher, this momentous award nods to the years Ralph has put in and worked hard on her on-screen roles. Her breakout role came in 1982 in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. She’s known for her role as Dee Mitchell in Moesha, the stepmother of Myles and Moesha. She played President Kelly Wade in Motherland: Fort Salem, Vanessa Blake in Good Times, and Matilde in Claws.

As a longtime actress with a lot of experience, Ralph’s Abbott Elementary co-star Quinta Brunson insinuated that Ralph was intimidating because she “silently” required better from those around her.

“Sheryl is one of those people who, when you’re around her, you can’t help but straighten your back out a little bit and make sure you’re using the correct words, are addressing her and everyone around you correctly,” Brunson said.

Ralph learned the news of her Emmy nomination while on vacation in Jamaica. Her son, Etienne Maurice, recorded her reaction, sharing her excitement.

The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. E.T.