Dev Shah, the 14-year-old winner of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee, arrived at Tampa International Airport on Tuesday night time to a heat welcome from dozens of pals and academics who amassed to congratulate him on his win.
After catching a flight to Tampa from New York, Shah arrived on the airport round 7:00 p.m. and expressed his appreciation for the marvel reception, pronouncing “it was very welcoming and warm just to know everyone was here.”
On June 1, Shah used to be named the nationwide champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee after spelling the profitable phrase “psammophile,” an organism that prospers in sandy spaces. Shah had requested for all of the information at the phrase, together with its definition, prior to spelling it, however stated he felt relieved when he heard it as a result of he had studied it and used to be assured he knew it.
Shah’s win made him the primary individual to win the National Spelling Bee from Florida since 1999, and he expressed his hope that extra Floridians would win in the longer term, pronouncing “I’ll gladly help that change.”
Shah’s former academics described him as hardworking, decided, and amusing to be round, recalling how he performed tennis and the cello along competing in spelling bees for the reason that 3rd grade.
Despite his spelling prowess, Shah stated that now not everyone seems to be just right at spelling and introduced reassurance via pronouncing “It’s okay now because now we have spell check, so you don’t really have to know.”
Shah just lately graduated from Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Largo and is happy for the longer term. “I do appreciate the surprise and it was very welcoming and warm just to know everyone was here,” he stated.