(Friday, July 9, 2021) – With style, flair, and lots of wit; Zaila Avant-garde is making history as the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Zaila jumped and twirled with joy after being declared the winner when she correctly spelled “Murraya,” which is a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees.  “I was pretty relaxed on the subject of Murraya and pretty much any other word I got,” Zaila said.

Zaila describes spelling as a side hobby.  The 14-year-old  Harvey, Louisiana native is a basketball prodigy who own three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.  She also hopes to one day play in the WNBA or coach in the NBA.

We predict she will be able to do all of the above and more.