It's the first time Ankita Vadiala (Speller 260) has been to the Bee. She was more than pleased.
"I'm a pretty ambitious first timer," the Manassas, Virginia seventh grader said. "My goal is to be a finalist."
Ankita spelled "pelisse" -- and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard the definition. She spelled it correctly.
The experience so far has been life-changing, Ankita said. She can't wait to go home and tell her friends about it, she said.
Ankita said she most enjoys learning the roots, so help her figure out how to spell the words she doesn't know.
"I tried to make enemies into friends," she said of the words.
Last year, Ankita said, she tried to make the Bee, but was overconfident. This year, she let her ego rest and worked harder.
When her name was called as a semifinalist, it was "one of the best things ever."
"I was running up there like a mad woman," she said.
Ankita's advice to her fellow spellers?
"Never give up," she said. "Keep working through all the pressure and fear."
When you do, Ankita said, "it's one of the best feelings ever."
