Thirteen-year-old Ana Guadalupe Villagomez has never traveled to the mainland United States. But her first trip there will be for a big reason.
She qualified for the national bee by besting 39 other spellers at the March 14 regional competition for Guam and the CNMI. Her winning word was “pugilist.” This year is also the first fully in-person Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2019, after COVID-19 canceled the 2020 contest, and the 2021 competition was partly virtual.
Ana says one of her favorite words currently is “oriel,” an architectural term for a type of bay window, which she thinks “looks pretty.” However, she’s excited about all the activities leading up to and surrounding the national bee. Organizers have planned a group mural project, coding academy, virtual reality camp, creative writing workshop, D.C.-area tours and other fun activities.
Japan happens to be one of her favorite places, and she has visited there twice, including a stop at Tokyo Disneyland. Going hand in hand with her love of Japan is her love of sushi.