Why Spelling? My Personal Story.

I watched my first spelling bee in 2009: The Scripps National Spelling Bee, where Kavya Shivashankar was declared champion. The winning moment struck out to me as a young toddler: the thunderous applause, Kavya hoisting up the trophy; seeing that, I thought that I could also stand upon that stage one day. Thus, in 4th grade, my spelling journey began. It was a worthwhile 4 years, with highs and lows, with both wins and losses, with moments of happiness, and moments of disappointment. All the work put in, and the culmination of my family's and community's support was my 7th place finish at the Orlando Finals of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

Contemplating over takeaways from my spelling journey, I learned how to get up after a loss, and work with more diligence for the next opportunity. I learned how to stay focused on the task at hand. I learned how to develop and follow my passions through spelling. Most importantly, the journey may be tedious and difficult, but the silver lining is that the speller emerges as a hardworking, driven individual, who aspires and sets clear goals, working sedulously and zealously in order to achieve them. Win or lose, everyone who competes and studies for a spelling bee is enriched with new, interesting words in their vocabulary, which they can sprinkle occasionally in their writings or colloquy. Spelling is not about plain rote memorization; however, it is understanding the rich stories behind the words based on their etymology, and the how and the why words are spelled the way they are. The speller's analytical skills, therefore, are enhanced. Learning new words will enable anyone to find the mot juste in order to articulate their feelings or opinions precisely. As Urijah Faber once stated, "Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey."