Tara Singh, Speller 133 and a Kentucky eighth grader, is in the last of her five Scripps National Spelling Bees.
She tied for 43rd place in 2013, 50th place in 2015, 22nd place in 2016 and 18th place last year.
This is the first time she's made the broadcast finals. She's out on "vinhatico," any of several South American leguminous timber trees.
The first year Tara came, in 2013 at eight years old, she was the youngest in the Bee.
Then, she said, she had a lot of people coming up to her. Over the years, she said, people have seen her grow up through the Bee.
“It's really special to have that experience,” she said.
Her goal every year is just to do her best, she said. No matter what happens, “my friends will be waiting there."
Tara also likes violin and archery, and she reads a lot. She's started a nonprofit in Kentucky, the Bluegrass Literacy Project, and wants to help underprivileged people learn English in a new way.
As far as the Bee is concerned, Tara said winning isn't everything.
“You go away with all these experiences and all these friends you're going to have for a lifetime,” she said. “Winning isn't really everything. Just try your best.”
Tara said getting to the finals – her first time in five years of spelling – is exciting, but also kind of tiring. But she has a huge cheering section, including many former spellers.
“There are a lot of smiles and hearts in the front row,” she said.
This summer, she'll travel to the Galapagos and Hawaii. Tara enjoys photography and eating dark chocolate.
She's been spelling since she was five years old, but is optimistic about life without spelling bees.
“I'm finished with this part of my journey,” she said. “This is a new chapter.”