New talent and fresh faces showed up last week as the 2015 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee traveled to Texas, stopping in Dallas and Houston in its quest for the best speller from the community.
With a good turnout this year, the Bee attracted top talent and new spellers who competed for coveted prizes and titles. The contest saw spellers of even six years of age compete and make it past a few rounds.
MetLife, a global provider of life insurance, annuities, and asset management, is the event’s title sponsor for the seventh year in a row.
In the Dallas Regional Smrithi Upadhyayula (13) of Coppell, was the regional champ while Rahul Karthi (12) of Irving, was the first runner up. First timer Christopher Cruz (11) of Frisco, was second runner up.
In Houston, Dasari siblings spelt off with each other for a consecutive 12 rounds before Shobha Dasari (14) was named regional champion and brother Shourav Dasari (12) was first runner up, the second being Abhirami Jeeyseelan (12) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Rahul Walia, Founder – South Asian Spelling Bee, said that In almost every city a majority of new talent and fresh faces are being seen this year, which he said is a testimony to the fact that “this brain sport” is close to the community.
“This event allows youth from across the country to test their spelling skills in a national forum and helps them gain a better understanding of how much they can achieve through hard work and dedication. For MetLife, it also underscores our commitment to serving and giving back to the South Asian community,” Laurel Daring, assistant vice president, Communications, MetLife Premier Client Group, said in a statement. Along with MetLife, food brand Kawan is the cosponsor of the event while SONY Entertainment Television Asia is the exclusive broadcast partner for the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries.
“We are proud to be associated with the Bee and are looking forward to showcasing the journey in the quest for the best speller. We look forward to yet another successful year.” said Jaideep Janakiram, head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.
The winners – the champion and the first and second runner up— each received cash prizes of $500, $300 and $200 respectively. Children up to 14 years of age are eligible to participate. There are 10 more cities where the contest will take place this year before the finals Aug. 14 in New Jersey. The top two winners plus one parent each from every city will be given an all expenses paid trip to NJ on August 14 for the finals.
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