Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old teenager from New Orleans is a spelling bee prodigy and a basketball superstar. Avant-garde began playing basketball when she was five. Today, she holds three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.

She was the first African American to win the US Scripps National Spelling Bee. In 2017, Avant-garde, then 10 years old, watched the Scripps Spelling Bee with her father, a jazz musician. He was surprised to find she could correctly spell all the words, and all the winning words going back to 1998.  Aside from spelling the words correctly, she could also tell the meaning of the words. 

Zaila entered her first competition, a regional bee, in 2019, and used her prize money from the past victory to prepare for the National Scripps Spelling Bee. Avant-garde’s coach, Cole Shafer-Ray, a 20-year-old Scripps runner-up who now trains competitors, was very proud of  his pupil. 

Zaila tries to spell about 13,000 words every day which usually takes about seven hours. She ensures she  balances her spelling drills and basketball practice as well as school work. Despite her love for spelling , she describes it as a side hobby and focuses mostly on being  a professional basketball player. She already holds three world records for dribbling multiple balls at once, and has appeared in an advertisement with the NBA megastar Stephen Curry.

She saw off a field of 11 finalists to win the title and bagged a first-place prize of $50,000 (£36,000) at the event in Orlando, Florida. In the final round, she beat 12-year-old Chaitra Thummala of Frisco, Texas. By spelling the word “MURRAY’’ correctly.

Zaila is a pacesetter and a role model to so many African American kids all over the world. She is a girl with so many talents and dreams, and she makes all her dreams come to life through hard work and dedication. As well as the undying support from her parents, loved ones and coach.

Have you noticed your child’s talent or interest or hobbies? Remember Zaila’s hobby was learning new words and spellings and now she is a spelling champion.  Encourage your child’s hobbies to provide them with the necessary support they need and watch as they excel in their areas of interest. Any child can be Zaila with the right mindset and dedication. 

Check out another inspiring story of Ferdinand Maumo; A chess prodigy from the slum of Makoko