KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City area is sending four spellers to compete in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. In this 2021 Spelling Bee profile, we spoke with Emaan Arshad of Kansas City, Missouri.
DETAILS: Scripps Spelling Bee returns for 2021
Emaan, an 8th grader at Plaza Middle School in the Park Hill School District of Kansas City, Missouri, would prefer the 2021 Spelling Bee to be be in-person instead of virtual. That's because she feels more confident on stage.
"Online, I'm just doing it on my desk and I feel less confident and worried about what's going to happen," she said.
But the 14 year-old has been praised by her teachers for years as a good speller, and entered her first bee in the third grade.
"I think it's just a lot of dedication, I think I just put a lot of hard work into it and I really put my full dedication into it so I feel like you can really go far," she added.
She usually studies her words, and when her dad gets home if she missed any they would review and go over them until she gets them right. She also uses the Scripps Word Club app.
Even though she's a veteran of bees, Emaan isn't taking anything for granted.
"I'm just really nervous. I can't stop thinking about it. My mind doesn't really wander off. I'm just nervous and can't stop thinking about it," she said.
