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2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion offered full-ride scholarship to LSU

Zaila Avant-garde of Harvey, Louisiana, became the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in its nearly 100-year history.
Posted at 3:07 PM, Jul 10, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-10 17:07:25-04

Zaila Avant-garde already made history as the first African American winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, and now one university is offering her a full ride.

Louisiana State University president William F. Tate IV tweeted Saturday that Avant-garde's academic performance reflected scholarship first and modeled intellectual excellence. He offered her a full scholarship to LSU.

The eighth-grader from Louisiana spelled the word murraya correctly to win the Bee.

Besides her academic success, the Associated Press reported the 14-year-old is a basketball prodigy who holds three Guinness World Records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.

Michelle Kaufman at WRTV first reported this story.