By Maddy Holder

For The Diamondback

Spelling bee champion, world record holder and best-selling author Zaila Avant-garde has taken her talents to the University of Maryland’s campus as she tackles her newest challenge: college.

At the age of 14, Avant-garde became the first African American person to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is the largest spelling bee across the country for kids under the age of 16.

Avant-garde was academically advanced at a young age, she said, and her entrance into the spelling bee was inspired by her love for reading as a child.

“My entire childhood, I was a big reading fan,” said Avant-garde, who is a freshman cell biology major. “I read over 1,000 books before I was 13. Naturally, something that comes along with reading a lot of books is picking up how words are spelled, and that was the catalyst for my journey into spelling.”

Avant-garde said becoming the first African American person to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021 was a bittersweet experience.

“Because I was like, ‘Yes, I’m the first African American to win,’” she said. “But then there’s also, ‘I’m the first African American to win in the 100-year history.’ There’s like a dual side to this.”

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Avant-garde said as she studied for the competition, she was inspired by the stories of previous competitors who were held back, such as MacNolia Cox, who became the first Black top five finalist in the spelling bee at age 13 in 1936.

After her win, Penguin Random House Publishing reached out to write about Avant-garde’s story. This opportunity turned into a passion when she realized she could share her love for reading to a new generation.

Avant-garde’s book, titled “It’s Not Bragging If It’s True,” offers tips on how to be awesome at life and live authentically based on her personal experiences. The book is a New York Times Best Seller.

“My introductions to reading exciting books pushed me to have this interest in learning more and learning to read different types of books,” she said. “I just wanted to recreate that experience for the new generation of children.”

Before her spelling bee win, Avant-garde already held two Guinness World Records for basketball juggling.

“One for most basketballs dribbled by one person, and one for most balls juggled in a minute,” Avant-garde said. “For my 13th birthday, my birthday wish was to have a Guinness World Record. So that’s how the ball got rolling.”

After moving from her home in Louisiana to Maryland to attend this university, Avant-garde has made close friends in her new community.

One of these friends, hallmate Hazel Ford, said she could see how Avant-garde’s accomplishments might make her seem intimidating.

“But she’s really personable,” the freshman chemistry major said. “She’s just a really awesome person to get to know and just to talk to about all sorts of things.”

Avant-garde is always studying, Ford said, but is good at balancing her schoolwork with her friendships. She’s a self-motivated person, Ford added.

“She’s one of those people who wants to accomplish things just because she’s interested in them, and just because she knows she’s capable of doing it,” Ford said of Avant-garde. “I think that speaks volumes.”

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Another of Avant-garde’s hallmates, Sophia Reyes, also noted that despite her busy schedule, Avant-garde always makes time to show up for her friends. They meet often in the study room and talk about their days, added Reyes, a freshman economics major.

“Every Wednesday, we try to get together and have dinner, and we just kind of vent about our weeks, and Zaila is always there, and she’s really funny and encouraging as a friend,” Reyes said.

Avant-garde hopes her story can inspire others who are afraid to try to accomplish their goals and that they find it in themselves to invest in their own potential. When people believe they’re not good enough or incapable of achieving, they’ve already lost half the battle, Avant-garde said.

“We have to fight to remember that we are not defined by the words of others and remember that we are capable of achieving pretty much anything that we put our minds to,” she said.