Jayden Jiang, the regional champion from Philadelphia, emerged from this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, held in Maryland, with valuable insights and a desire to compete again.
Despite tying for 41st place after seven rounds, the 11-year-old expressed enthusiasm about his experience, saying, “I want to do it again because I enjoyed this process and learned a lot throughout this journey.”
Jiang, a fifth-grader at Girard Academic Music Program, noted that while he relished the learning opportunity, he found the anxiety of being on stage challenging.
Reflecting on his performance, he said, “I think the tournament went pretty well for me this year. At least I did better than last year,” recalling his finish in a tie for 60th in his first appearance at the competition the previous year.
Jiang had set specific goals for the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, and he felt he successfully accomplished them.
Isaac Geremew, representing South Jersey, finished tied for 74th place after five rounds, dropping out in the quarterfinals. The seventh-grader from William Davies Middle School in Mays Landing, New Jersey, had previously competed in 2023, finishing tied for 23rd.
Geremew expressed disappointment at his quarterfinal elimination, stating, “I definitely had a lot more spelling experience this year, but I was hoping to beat my previous ranking from 2023,” as he sent a text message sharing his thoughts.
This year’s competition marked the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, culminating in a dramatic win by Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who was last year’s runner-up.
Zaki triumphed after an impressive 21 rounds, with his winning word being “éclaircissement,” a French term denoting clarification or enlightenment. Many had difficulty with this unfamiliar word, but it carried significant weight for Zaki.
Geremew found his highlight of the event to be watching the finals, describing it as “action-packed.” He shared how he attempted to spell the words himself on his dad’s phone while enjoying extra entertainment provided by a comedian during the commercial breaks.
This year’s national tournament featured 243 spellers vying for the championship. Zaki’s victory earned him a cash prize of $52,500, alongside a trophy and a medal, as well as various reference materials and subscriptions to notable encyclopedias and educational tools.
In a generous gesture, Zaki announced his intention to donate half of his prize money to charity, as reported by Scripps News.
Throughout the competition, Jiang showcased his spelling abilities with words like “apistogramma” (a genus of fish from South America), “oddment” (something left over), and “perpension” (careful weighing in the mind). However, his journey ended on the word “cassowary,” a large flightless bird native to Australia and the surrounding islands.
Jiang felt more prepared for the contest compared to the previous year, even though the nerves remained the same.
He highlighted the fun he had during Bee week, mentioning that he made more friends among his fellow competitors, which added to his enjoyment of the event.
Geremew’s route through the competition included correctly spelling difficult words such as “stevedore” (a person who loads and unloads cargo) and “chesterfield” (a style of coat or sofa). Unfortunately, he was unable to provide the correct definition for the word “cameo,” which brought his time at the Bee to an end.
Both young spellers qualified for the national bee through regional competitions co-hosted by WHYY and Billy Penn, held at WHYY’s studio near Independence Mall.
Looking ahead, Geremew expressed his commitment to competing again next year, stating, “I definitely intend to compete in next year’s bee. I also intend to spend more time studying for the spelling bee so that I can hopefully make it to the finals and beat my past rankings.”
Jiang echoed this sentiment, expressing his willingness to return despite his stage fright, motivated by the encouragement from friends and previous Bee champions he met during the week.
“Although I do not like to be on the stage, I think I should do it to challenge my limit,” Jiang said with determination.
As he gears up for the next competition, he plans to focus on spelling and word meanings while also delving into the patterns and roots of the words, building on his experiences from this year’s event.
image source from：https://billypenn.com/2025/05/30/scripps-spelling-bee-jayden-jiang-isaac-geremew-regional-champions-faizan-zaki/
