Spelling Bee finalists, mostly of Indian descent, visit White House

Bruhat Soma emerged victorious in the prestigious contest, earning more than $50,000 in cash and other prizes

Washington: Bruhat Soma, the Scripps National Spelling Bee‘s Indian-American winner, along with the seven other finalists was invited by the White House for a visit, a lifetime experience for these young talents.

Bruhat, a 12-year-old seventh-grade student from Florida, emerged victorious in the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, earning more than $50,000 in cash and other prizes.

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He blitzed through 30 words in 90 seconds Thursday night and judges determined that he spelled 29 of them correctly — nine more than his competitor, Faizan Zaki. On Friday, the White House invited them to attend an event on the South Lawns where President Joe Biden welcomed the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate their championship season and victory in Super Bowl LVIII.

Bruhat, sporting a yellow championship T-shirt and a red tilak on his forehead, was joined by seven other finalists, including four others of Indian descent, and their parents.

The four other Indian Americans were: Rishabh Saha, 14 and Shrey Parikh, 12, from California; Aditi Muthukumar, 13, from Colorado; and Ananya Rao Prasanna, 13, from North Carolina.

They did not meet the president but saw other champions — the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. All the finalists were seen taking pictures on the White House lawns and were excited about visiting the office-cum-residence of the US President.