9 of 11 finalists this year are Indian Americans
Washington, DC: The US First Lady Jill Biden will attend on July 8 the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals in Orlando in which nine of the 11 finalists are Indian-Americans.
Over the past 20 years, Indian-Americans have been dominating the Spelling Bee contest even though they comprise only about 1 per cent of the US population.
“Immediately before the Bee’s primetime Finals, Dr Biden will meet with the spellers and their families, and will congratulate them on this tremendous academic achievement,” the White House said on Tuesday.
Jill, a community college educator, previously attended the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals when it was held in Washington, DC.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational program, having been launched in 1925. It is a high-profile, high-pressure endurance test as much as a nerd spelling match and spellers spend months preparing for it.
After advancing through all of the virtual rounds of the national competition, 11 spellers will compete for the championship title during the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals.
The final rounds of this year’s contest will be hosted in-person at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.
