One of the most prestigious competitions for youth saw history made on July 8, with a winner who does more than spell words.
Zaila Avant-garde correctly spelled the world “Murraya” to take the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship back home to Harvey, Louisiana. The 14-year-old became the first African-American winner of the Bee, and only the second Black person, after Jamaican-born Jody-Anne Maxwell won in 1998.
Her exploits even got the attention of President Joe Biden, who tweeted, “Congratulations, Zaila! We’re all so proud of you. I have a feeling this isn’t the last time you’ll be making history.”
Here’s the amazing thing; spelling is not even Avant-garde’s best ability, as she is a talented basketball star who owns three Guinness World Records for dribbling.
By the way, a “Murraya” is a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees. Now you know.
