"Stromuhr." That's the word 14-year-old Anamika Veeramani, of North Royalton, Ohio, spelled correctly Friday to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee: Spelling bee winner part of Indian-American streak. Oh? Didn't you know? Indian Americans kick spelling bee ass. A lot:
The 14-year-old girl from North Royalton, Ohio, won the 83rd bee, claiming the trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes - some of which she says she intends to spend.What's up with Desi kids dominating the spelling bee? This Slate article tries to get to the bottom of it: Why Are Indian Kids So Good at Spelling?
She also became the third consecutive Indian-American bee champion.
Indian-Americans comprise less than 1 percent of the U.S. population according to 2000 census data, but they have an impressive bee winning streak — taking the trophy in eight of the past 12 years.
"All of the past champions inspire me, they all have something different and they're all amazing people," Anamika said after the prime-time finals on Friday.
Now that's conquered the spelling be, what glory awaits young Anamika? Here's something she could look forward to... Last week, 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Kavya Shivashankar and her family met President Obama in the Oval Office. Her sister Vanya competed in this year's competition. Desi domination!