Zaila Avant-garde from Harvey is the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion and the first Louisiana native to win the event.
The 14-year-old correctly spelled the word murraya.
She blew through the contest to the championship at the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, becoming only the second Black champion in the bee’s 96-year history.
Avant-garde is also a basketball star as well who has appeared in a commercial with Stephen Curry and owns three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously. She also hopes to play in the WNBA someday.
