LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — An Ohio sixth grader is getting ready to take the national stage for spelling. She’s been preparing for the big moment for the last two years.

What You Need To Know

  • Rujva Patel, 12, is a sixth grader at Cherokee Elementary in Liberty Township who won regionals and is headed to the National Spelling Bee 

  • She's been practicing with her mom three to four hours a day to get ready for the national bee 

  • Rujva Patel will join more than 200 spellers across the country to compete for the national title, starting May 27

Rujva Patel just turned 12, and while many kids her age are scrolling on screens, she’s scrolling through the dictionary. 

“There's a lot of words that I study, with dictionary surfing, which I do like in my free time," she said.

She's trying to memorize 4,000 words that she could have to spell when she gets to the National Spelling Bee. She said it took her two years to make it there.  

“In fourth grade, I won the school spelling bee, and I was like, 'oh, wow, I won the spelling bee," Rujva said, "and I went to the regionals and I got third and then I thought to myself, I want to try again next year…so I won my school spelling bee the next year in fifth grade and I got fourth in the regionals."

Now she's in sixth grade at Cherokee Elementary in Liberty Township. She won the school bee and regionals this year and will be going to Washington D.C. for nationals with her proud family this summer.

“I think that most of the preparation is, you know, the mom did that, but I was definitely involved with the transportation,” said Rujva's father Maitrey Patel. 

Mom, Riddhi Patel, a former pharmacist says she’s been working with her three to four hours a day.

“We also bookmark words that she didn't get right, so we knew what to focus on more, and we prepared for that, and then we tried to learn the language patterns for foreign languages, especially because she was not familiar with those at all," said Riddhi Patel. 

Educators who’ve been supporting her along the way say she’s already an inspiration to younger students.

“When the spelling bee is going on, we do it, we are able to watch it on TV here at school, and the third graders watch it and they get excited because they'll know some different fifth or sixth graders maybe that are in it," said teacher and spelling bee coordinator Elisa Daley. 

Rujva said, win or lose, she hopes her words get her through to the championships and inspire future spelling bee champions.

“I would tell them that don't give up, because if you work hard, your dreams might come true, and don't let people tell you can't win because you can," said Rujva. 

Rujva Patel will join more than 200 spellers across the country to compete for the national title. The National Spelling Bee starts May 27.