When Zaila Avant-garde made history in 2021 as the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, she captured the nation's attention. Now a freshman at the University of Maryland, the trailblazing champion is channeling that same dedication into her academic pursuits.
"I'm studying cell biology and genetics. That's what I'm majoring in right now. I might add on a minor in neuroscience, but we'll see how that goes," Avant-garde said. "My overall career plan is to be a biomedical researcher. I plan to go directly to a PhD program out of undergrad."
The winning word that secured her place in history remains fresh in her memory.
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"My winning word was Murraya, which is spelled M-U-R-R-A-Y-A. It's kind of, it's like a subtropical genus of plants or something," Avant-garde said.
Her preparation for the spelling bee rivaled that of an Olympic athlete, requiring intense daily commitment and countless hours of study.
"I knew about 99% of the dictionary, and I was able to do that by using different programs like Spell Pundit and stuff. I was studying about 13,000 words a day or like for about seven hours a day," Avant-garde said. "Most times I also had like two tutors and stuff that I had kind of in the final stage of leading up to the bee."
The victory launched Avant-garde into the national spotlight, opening doors to numerous opportunities.
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"I was in lots of, you know, commercials and stuff like Shaquille O'Neal and all sorts of stuff. I also got a publishing book deal with Random House, became a New York Times bestseller selling author," Avant-garde said.
While Jody-Anne Maxwell became the second Black woman to win the award in 1998, she was born in Kingston, Jamaica, making Avant-garde the first American-born Black woman to claim the title.
The impact of her achievement extends far beyond personal accomplishment.
"Having a lot of young parents with their young sons and daughters who are African American come up to me and just talk about how you know seeing me inspired their kids to be more interested in reading, to be more interested in participating in their school spelling bees and stuff has been very powerful for me," Avant-garde said.
Beyond spelling, Avant-garde holds Guinness World Records in several basketball dribbling categories, showcasing her diverse talents.
Her ambitions reach even higher as she looks toward the future.
"One of the things that I really want to do is work with NASA's Human Research Program to help try to find a way to allow humans to be able to inhabit other planets such as Mars and the moon, which is not a planet, but you get the idea," Avant-garde said.
For those pursuing their own ambitious dreams, Avant-garde offers simple but powerful advice.
"Don't listen to people telling you that you can't do it," Avant-garde said.
