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Are you smarter than this fifth grader? Probably not

Posted at 4:30 AM, Mar 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-15 07:17:16-04

UNION, Ky. -- Fifth-grader Tanvi Rakesh has a way with words -- specifically, words such as "parkour," "albumen," "narcolepsy" and "germinate," all of which she can spell with ease.

Rakesh, 11, competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2017 after winning the regional title. She won her first school spelling bee as a first-grader, but she wasn't eligible to advance to regionals that year. From second grade until today, she's won her school spelling bee and competed at regionals every year.

"It's a great way to meet other spellers and make friends and meet other people who have the same passion as you," she said.

Her mother, Radha Rakesh, used to watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee every year while growing up in India. She said she felt fortunate to have a daughter who could participate in it herself.

"It's important for me to capture these memories," she said. "It's not something that happens overnight. I feel very blessed; I am proud."