6-26-2021 10:36pm

Behind the scenes: Avani Joshi's road to the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals

Michael McGinnis Editor

Dr. Jacques Bailly helps Avani Joshi think through a difficult spelling word.

On Sunday night, in her second try at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Avani Joshi of Roscoe gave all the right answers in the virtual semifinals and became one of the 11 finalists in the national competition. Thirteen-year-old Avani will be a freshman at Hononegah Community High School in the fall, having graduated from Roscoe Middle School this year. In 2019, she tied for 370th place out of 562.

But studying spelling is not the only way she spends her time. Avani is learning three languages - Spanish, Sanskrit, and Hindi - plays the piano and the violin, practices traditional South Indian dance, and enjoys technology and coding. Her favorite author is Ray Bradbury, her favorite foods are naan and paneer, and her favorite movies are Soul and Wolfwalkers.

We spoke Saturday with her father Ashutosh Joshi about his multi-talented daughter. Ashutosh is an engineer at Collins Aerospace and his wife Indu has been a substitute teacher at local schools. Though Roscoe has relatively few Indian-Americans, Ashutosh says, "This community has been very warm and welcoming" to them.

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Ashutosh says that, besides being a champion speller, Avani is also an Illinois Science Olympiad medalist. As part of the Roscoe Middle School team, she won multiple medals including two gold medals in state competition, helping RMS secure second position in their group while competing against respected schools such as Rockford Christian. And she also qualified for the Illinois State Geographic Bee in 2019 and 2020, though it was cancelled in 2020 and this year due to COVID-19. Ashutosh says, "She likes anything competitive...she likes to compete... she likes the learning process while preparing for a competition..." In this sort of competition, he explains, "you're really competing against yourself."

Spelling, geography, technology, languages, and the arts: is there anything Avani isn't good at? Ashutosh says, "We really haven't yet explored many things..." For example, she hasn't really tried sports, though, he says, "we played a little bit of golf and tennis together... We don't really know what she's good or bad at." She has been learning Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form, but her dance teacher recently relocated to Iowa, so she studies it virtually now. At least one other National Spelling Bee finalist also studies it. At least two other finalists participate in the Science Olympiad.

Is it hard to keep humble when you're Avani Joshi? Ashutosh says he and his wife Indu try to keep their daughter grounded. "When you see poverty in the world, people not getting food for survival, impact of war...that keeps her grounded..." Ashutosh says that she's passionate about the earth and the environment we live in, and he says, "Learning science can help her understand it better and contribute positively." Avani herself told the Scripps National Spelling Bee, "I love nature and want to contribute towards preserving forests and endangered species."

Right now, while she's in middle school, Avani's parents note that she is protected from many things, but they need to make sure she has good grounding as she explores the world when she goes to college.

Because of COVID, Ashutosh says, Avani had to learn how to excel virtually. He applauds the Kinnikinnick School District and the Roscoe community for being "kind enough to provide the opportunities, resources and environment" to help students including her succeed and grow.

The finals in the Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held Thursday, July 8, 7:00-10:00 p.m. CDT at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. In 2019, Ashutosh and his wife Indu watched Avani compete in the Boone-Winnebago Regional Spelling Bee at Harlem High School, along with Avani's sister Ananya and an aunt and uncle visiting from India. Because of COVID, only one family member, her mother, could attend the regional competition this year. But her sister and father watched via Zoom meeting from a parked car. "So we all were there," says Ashutosh.

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