HERNDON, Va. — A Fairfax County middle schooler hopes to S-P-E-L-L her way to the top at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Ankita Balaji, a 7th grade student at Rachel Carson Middle School in Herndon, said she has spent years working toward this goal.
According to a release from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), Balaji will be the only student representing FCPS on stage this year when the Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off May 28. She will compete after winning the 2024 Fairfax County Spelling Bee.
For Balaji, she explains that spelling runs in the family and she draws her inspiration from her grandfather and big sister Akshita, who has competed twice in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
When asked what work went into preparing to compete, Balaji sighed and told WUSA9, "So, there's a lot of work. A lot of different lists you have to study. And you have to keep in mind that anything in the dictionary is fair game. You can be asked the most obscure word."
She said she is very proud of herself for getting this far and looks forward to the competition.
Principal Rachel Carson Middle School Gordon Stokes spoke with WUSA9 as well. He said, "It's really exciting to see when students are really committed to something that they are really passionate about. I know she has put a lot of extra hours into studying all kinds of word lists and quizzing herself so it's really impressive to see her dedication."
The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held in National Harbor, Maryland from May 28 to May 30. The final two nights will be aired live on ION.
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