Past Spelling Bee champ Zaila Avant-garde aims to help humans live on other planets
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First African American Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-garde trades dictionary for laboratory at University of Maryland
When Zaila Avant-garde made history in 2021 as the first African American girl 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.
