Shruthi Ayyagari, a seventh-grader at Granger Middle School, is one of 243 students heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee this month, taking part in the 100th anniversary of the event.
“I’m anticipating the day that I get to go to [Washington, D.C.,] to compete, and I know that it’ll be a great experience for me, whether I succeed there or not,” said Shruthi Ayyagari.
Earning her spot to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee
She’ll be competing against students from across the country and beyond, each a spelling champion in their respective regions.
“I’m so nervous, but I really hope that I will do well,” said Shruthi.
Earning her spot at the national competition was no easy task. She first had to win her school spelling bee, then the district spelling bee, and most recently, the DuPage County Regional Spelling Bee. The word that clinched her spot was affirmation.
“Seeing all the competition, we were just like, ‘Oh my gosh, Shruthi made it. She’s the one who won the regionals.’ It was a really surreal experience,” said Sreeya Ayyagari, Shruthi’s older sister.
Preparing for the national competition
Now preparing for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Shruthi is using several resources, including the large Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary.
“Unabridged basically means it has every single word in the English language, which there happen to be over 400,000. This book is the official source of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. So it’s very important to have this on hand while studying,” said Shruthi.
She also practices with support from her mom.
“I think she does enjoy someone else asking her questions and kind of talking through things. So we are taking a couple of hours and just trying to sit and go through vocabulary, meanings, word lists, or whatever that’s helpful to her,” said Madhuri Ayyagari, Shruthi’s mother.
Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off next week
This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off with preliminaries on Tuesday, May 27, and runs through Thursday, May 29, with finals. The preliminaries and quarterfinals can be streamed on Bounce XL, while the semifinals and finals will air on Ion.
With nearly two years of spelling bee experience, Shruthi is hoping to deliver a buzz-worthy performance. But she’s also reminded to enjoy the moment.
“It’s very amazing that she has reached this level. I always try to tell her, ‘Don’t stress out about what is the outcome of this.’ It’s enjoy the process,” said Chandra Ayyagari, Shruthi’s father.
And whether victory is to be or not to be, Shruthi plans to continue her passion for spelling bees into her final eligible year.
“Until I’m in eighth grade, I would love to pursue spelling bees. Even after that, I’d love to impart my knowledge of spelling bees onto other people,” said Shruthi.
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