A 14 year-old old from New Orleans, Louisiana, has won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Zaila Avant-garde became the first African-American to win the contest in 93 editions of the event. The only other Black champion, in 1998, was from Jamaica.
Avant-garde will be given a $50,000 cash reward for winning the championship by spelling the word ‘murraya’ correctly. It is a type of tree.
Also, she holds a title in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most bounce juggles in one minute. She began dribbling at 5 and desires to become a part of the WNBA.
The National Spelling Bee contest began with 209 spellers from 5 countries. The championship started with 11 contestants. They ranged in age from 9 to 15 years-old.
Dr. Jill Biden was in attendance to show her support. Last year, the spelling bee was canceled due to the pandemic which had never happened since World War II.
