After spelling the word “Guetapens,” Snigdha Nandipati wasn’t sure what to do or expect. She blinked and looked to both sides before the sparkling confetti fluttered down over her hair and face. Then the smile broke, as the 14-year-old Indian American from California finally registered that she was the 2012 Scripps Spelling Bee champion.
In second place was another 14-year-old, Stuti Mishra from Florida, followed by Arvind Mahankali, a 12-year-old from New York, in third. Like Snigdha, the two runners-up are Indian American children.
This was also the fifth straight year that an Indian American had won the Spelling Bee, and the tenth time in the last 14 years
