My new friend Siyona, from Florida.

Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted about me!

Harshita and I are both 4-time repeaters.

2017 marks the 90th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

90th anniversary keepsake by Rookwood Pottery.

Alex, Shruthika, and I having fun at the dance party.

Last night, we attended an awards banquet at which the top 15 finalists were honored. Afterwards, spellers went to a farewell dance party. The party is my favorite part of Bee Week because it’s a time to celebrate and relax!

One of the most memorable moments of this year’s Bee was when Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton: An American Revolution, responded to a tweet about me with a “Go Tara!” I am a HUGE fan of Lin-Manual Miranda so this was a very exciting moment for me!

The Scripps National Spelling Bee celebrated its 90th Bee this year. To commemorate this milestone, Rookwood Pottery created a beautiful work of pottery for each speller. It features 4 books, each of which is inscribed with a different message relating to the Bee’s mission to “Inspire” students to “Discover” and “Achieve.” I will always treasure this amazing piece of pottery.

I hope you have enjoyed this journey with me! I have one year of eligibility left and I plan on working hard to make it back to the Scripps National Spelling Bee next year.