DALLAS - Two students from North Texas are finalists in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee.
More than 200 students from across the country competed virtually in the first three rounds of the competition earlier this month.
The top 11 spellers will compete in the final round next week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
One of the finalists from North Texas is just 10 years old -- Vivinsha Veduru. She will be a fifth-grader at Bear Creek Intermediate School in Keller.
According to the Scripps website, Veduru became interested in spelling after placing third in the Texas Christian University regional spelling bee when she was in third grade. She also loves to read, plays the piano and tennis and loves to travel.
Another North Texas finalist is 12-year-old Dhroov Bharatia, a seventh-grader at Wilson Middle School in Plano.
He’s no stranger to competing and has won numerous regional science fairs, as well as band, speech, debate and robotics competitions. His interests are also diverse including literature, history, math, science, computer technology and basketball, the Scripps website states.
The spelling bee was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic