Two Southern California spellers made it to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland, Wednesday, after two days of competition.
Seventh-grader Medina Miranda, 13, attends Stanford Middle School in Long Beach. Her favorite musician is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Her Round 3 word was laparotomy, a surgical incision of the abdominal wall.
Two-time spelling bee competitor Aisha Randhawa, 12, is a seventh-grader at Auburndale Intermediate School in Corona. She tied for 22nd place in 2016 and tied for 35th place in 2017. Her favorite book is “White Fang.” The correct spelling of the word amateur – one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession – got her into the final round.
They will face off against 39 others in the final round Thursday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
The competition began Tuesday with 516 spellers taking a written test.
Twelve other Southern California spellers successfully completed rounds 2 and 3, but didn’t make the cut into the finals. They are:
Rahul Naveen, 14, is an eighth-grader at Medea Creek Middle School in Thousand Oaks. His favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Galen Cholbi, 13, an eighth-grader from Cesar E. Chavez Middle School in San Bernardino, enjoys math and science. On Tuesday,
Dean Alkhairy, 12, of Tustin, attends Fairmont Private School’s North Tustin Campus. His favorite historical figure is Abraham Lincoln.
Grace Liang, of Glendora, is a 15-year-old eighth-grader at Sandburg Middle School. Her favorite author is William Shakespeare.
Twelve-year-old Cody Nguyen, of Placentia, attends Golden Elementary School. His favorite subject is math; a fitting subject, since his favorite book is “Counting by 7s.”
Rancho Cucamonga resident Nicholas Lee, 14, an eighth-grader at Day Creek Intermedia School, previously participated in the bee in 2015, tying for 50th place. His favorite book is “Born a Crime.”
Winston Zuo, a 13-year-old from Yorba Linda who goes to the historic Anaheim campus at Fairmont Private Schools, previously competed in the spelling bee in 2017, when he tied for 41st place. His favorite book is “The Myth of Sisyphus.”
Fourteen-year-old Ryan Uc is an eighth-grader at Chatsworth Hills Academy Middle School in Chatsworth. “The Book Thief” is his favorite book.
Una Alesandra Santos, of Fontana, is 14 and attends Summit Intermediate School. Her favorite book is “Marjorie Morningstar.”
Hrishikesh Krishna, 12, of Manhattan Beach Middle School, looks up to Abraham Lincoln.
Umar Aziz, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at Orange Crescent School in Santa Ana, enjoys the works of author Stuart Gibbs.
Ayle Guevarra, an 11-year-old sixth-grader at Ernest Lawrence Middle School, hails from Chatsworth. His favorite book is the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series.
SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Remaining schedule: Thursday, May 31: Part 1, 7 to 11 a.m. PDT, ESPN2; Part 2, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. PDT, ESPN.
Where: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Md.
Prizes: $42,500 in cash, plus other prizes for the winner; $30,000 for second place; $20,000 for third place and other cash awards for spellers who reach at least round 7.