Zaila Avant-garde, 14, of Harvey, La. won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday. She is the first African American to win the the title beating 209 spellers from five countries with the word “Murraya,” which is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae. Along with the title, Avant-garde takes home a $50,000 cash prize.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *