Avenger of the Week | Zaila Avant-garde, Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion
With a joyful jump and a twirl, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde celebrated her win of the 96th annual Scripps Spelling Bee, correctly spelling “murraya” to become the first Black American to win the legendary competition. ”Murraya” is a genus of tropical trees, by the way.
Jody-Anne Maxwell, an international student from Jamaica, won the title in 1998, the only winner from outside of the United States.
“It made me feel really proud,” said Avant-garde of her victory. “I'm really hoping lots of little brown girls all over the world and stuff are really motivated to try out spelling and stuff because it's really a fun thing to do and it's a great way to kind of connect yourself with education, which is super important.”
From Harvey, Louisiana, Avant-garde was 10 years old when her father realized her spelling aptitude. He was watching the spelling bee on television and decided to ask his daughter how to spell the winning word. She did, with ease. He then asked her to spell each of the winning words back to 1999, and she did. An avid reader and lover of words, she began focusing on spelling and made it to the third round of the 2019 Scripps competition. The event was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, but she was back this year and won the $50,000 spelling prize.
Avant-garde has many career aspirations including playing basketball at Harvard University and then moving on to the NBA or working for NASA. She already has full scholarship offers from four Louisiana colleges, and she also already holds three Guinness World Records for bouncing, dribbling, and juggling multiple basketballs.
For her multiple impressive accomplishments, her exuberance about life and learning, and her courage to pursue her dreams, Zaila Avant-garde is our Avenger of the Week.
The @GenderAvenger #AvengerOfTheWeek is @ScrippsBee champ Zaila Avant-garde. She hopes “lots of little brown girls all over the world… are really motivated” because “it's a great way to… connect yourself with education.” #SpellingBee #GenderAvenger https://www.genderavenger.com/blog/avenger-of-the-week-zaila-avant-garde-scripps-national-spelling-bee-champion