We have a number of former finalists who are back at the Bee this year. One is Aisha Randhawa, speller 88, a California eighth grader who tied for seventh place last year. She also tied for 22nd place in 2016 and 35th place in 2017.
Aisha spelled "agua fresca" correctly, a beverage consisting of water and sugar with fruits, grains or seeds added for flavoring.