ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — More than 200 spellers are competing in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, and three hail from the Sunshine City.
Bruhat Soma (12), Amara Chepuri (11) and Jordin Oremosu (14) all threw in their hats this year for a chance to represent St. Petersburg and be named champion. The Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund sponsor all three.
With last year's spelling champion hailing from Pinellas County, we're rooting to see another Tampa Bay area champion.
Let's meet this year's contestants:
About Bruhat
Bruhat is still holding strong, as he recently made it to the final round on the word "cricetine." The 12-year-old is one of only eight spellers left in the competition.
This isn't Bruhat's first rodeo, however. The seventh-grader from Turner/Bartels K-8 School is competing in the spelling bee for the third year in a row. In 2022, he tied for 163rd place before improving the following year, tying for 74th place.
Outside of his knack for spelling, Bruhat loves to play and watch basketball, according to the Scripps Spelling Bee official website. His passions also extend to badminton, ping-pong and music, playing snare drum in his middle school band.
About Amara
Amara's interests extend well beyond her spelling talents, including drawing, reading, playing tennis, playing piano and working on challenging algebraic equations.
The fifth grader from Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy is also an avid lover of music and Taylor Swift, composing her own pieces since she was seven years old, according to the event website.
Amara was able to fight her way to the fourth round before she was eliminated on the word "ephectic."
About Jordin
Jordin, an eighth grader from Lutz Preparatory School, loves to draw, according to the website. Her abilities include digital 2D drawings and traditional drawings. Some of her works reportedly take as long as eight hours to complete with no breaks.
On top of that, Jordin also enjoys reading, citing "Wizardmatch" by Lauren Magaziner as her favorite book and Jennifer Lynn Barnes as her favorite author.
Like Amara, Jordin competed well into the fourth round before she was eliminated on the word "galliphagous."
Last year's spelling bee saw Largo teen Dev Shah take home the national title. This year's championship prizes include a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup, the event's official trophy.
On top of that, this year's winner will also receive a $2,500 cash prize and reference library from Merriam-Webster and $400 of reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica.
For more information on this year's spelling bee, click here.
