Reshmi Balakrishnan and her dad, Balakrishnan Rengasamy, pose for a picture. Photo by Tom Manning/The Connection
The 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. on May 31. Reshmi Balakrishnan, an 11-year-old sixth grader at Greenbriar West Elementary School in Fairfax, competed in the event for the first time as speller number 198. Although she spelled both her words correctly during preliminary rounds 2 and 3, her preliminary test score was not high enough to advance to the top 50 and head to the finals. Balakrishnan likes to read which has helped increase her vocabulary and spelling. She also likes to swim, dance, play the piano and violin, and run track as a member of the Chantilly Youth Association.