WASHINGTON — The reigning national spelling champion is a 14-year- old whose one-liners kept everyone laughing a year ago. His parents moved to the United States from central India, and he wants to be a neurosurgeon one day.
Last year’s runner-up — and one of this year’s favorites at the Scripps National Spelling Bee — is an all-business, 13-year-old Indian-American boy from Michigan. He, too, has his sights on neurosurgery.
Another favorite expected to be onstage for Thursday’s nationally televised finals is a 13-year-old Kansas girl with a sweet smile. And, you guessed it: Her family comes from India and she wants to be a neurosurgeon.
“Is that right?” said Naresh Chand, bursting out in laughter. “That’s a coincidence. That’s a big coincidence.”
Chand is the father of Sidharth Chand, whose mishap in the final round last year allowed Sameer Mishra to claim the title.
Trailing closely behind both was Kavya Shivashankar, a three-time finalist who tied for fourth.
While it’s tempting to suggest the 293 spellers were just showing off by picking a long word as a potential occupation, their choice of neurosurgery isn’t surprising. In a survey conducted by the bee, physician was listed as the No. 1 career ambition, followed by writer, lawyer, scientist and engineer.
