USA (Commonwealth Union)_ Dev Shah, the 14-year-old Indian-American who emerged victorious in the esteemed 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee, revealed that witnessing other children triumph in the competition served as his primary inspiration. With unwavering confidence, he stated, “Seeing other kids win the Spelling Bee probably inspired me the most because I said if they could do it, I could do it.”
During a media interview, the eighth-grader expressed his assurance in correctly spelling the winning eleven-letter word, ‘psammophile,’ as he had previously studied it. According to Merriam-Webster, ‘psammophile’ is an organism that grows in sandy areas. Dev also stated that he developed an interest in the Spelling Bee competition when he was in sixth grade, and that’s when he really started to study spelling and wanted to win.
Dev also attributed his success to his grandmother, highlighting her as a significant source of inspiration. Reflecting on the intense final round of the Spelling Bee and the mental clash with his competitor, Dev described the commercial break preceding his winning word as the most nervous time of the competition. However, his conversation with Charlotte Walsh, the second-place finisher, about the upcoming events helped alleviate his nervousness.
Dev admitted that he has still not come out of the winning moment. When queried about his future aspirations, the 14-year-old revealed his multiple ambitions, expressing a desire to pursue careers as a neurosurgeon and an engineer. He found both paths immensely intriguing. When asked about his Indian links, Dev mentioned that he had visited the country once or twice, long ago. Further, he proudly joins the ranks of Indian-American winners, becoming the 27th individual of Indian descent to claim victory in the US Spelling Bee.
