Faizan Zaki, a 12-year-old Indian-American boy hailing from Texas, finished in 2nd place in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee held on May 29-30. He became the first-ever Muslim boy to have achieved the second position in the competition in the last 96 years, as there have not been any Muslim winners or runners-up in the period.
Faizan was one of the eight students from around the country who competed in the finals.
To reach the finals, he worked his way through eight rounds correctly spelling the words “Samisen,” “Splenetic,” “Braggadocio,” “Selvagee,” “Adirondack,” “Yawp,” “Morlop,” and “Hellebore.”
Bruhat Soma, 12, who is also an Indian origin took the top spot in the competition, earning more than USD 50,000 in cash and other prizes.
Furthermore, Faizan had competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee twice before in 2019 (tied for 370th) and 2023 (tied for 21st).
