Eighth grader Suhani Joshi ’30 proudly represents Hampton Roads Academy at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee
The end of the school year is always a celebratory time at Hampton Roads Academy. But this May brought extra excitement as Navigator Suhani Joshi ’30 participated in the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the second straight year, reaching the second round of the quarterfinals and surpassing her 2025 performance.
“It was a fantastic, fun experience,” Joshi said. “Last year was an unforgettable debut because I tied for 100th place during the Bee’s historic 100th anniversary. This year was even more rewarding since I advanced to the quarterfinals and finished tied for 67th place.”
In the much-watched competition, held from May 26 through 28 at the historic DAR Constitution Hall, just a few blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C., the eighth grader faced talented spellers from across the country and around the world.
Out of more than 10 million students who started their journeys at school bees in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates this year, Joshi is one of only 247 who advanced to the national level. According to Scripps, the odds of qualifying for this stage of the competition are slimmer than they are for happening upon a four-leaf clover, finding a pearl in an oyster, or bowling a perfect game.
“To make it to Nationals two years in a row is an incredible accomplishment,” said Interim Director of Middle School Karen Gillespie. “We are so proud of Suhani!”
Joshi was challenged to spell a plethora of difficult words during this year’s Bee. Some of the toughest, she noted, were duxelles (a French garnish or stuffing made from minced sautéed mushrooms, known for its use in beef Wellington), pasticcio (an Italian term for an artistic imitation of past works), repechage (a trial heat in which competitors are given a second chance to qualify for the next round), and ignescent (a synonym for “volatile” or “explosive”).
A smiling Joshi is in her element as she tackles challenging words on stage at the Bee
The exceptional eighth grader qualified for the national spell-off by claiming the top prize at the regional TowneBank Spelling Bee on March 7, where she competed as an at-large contestant alongside 2026 HRA school champion Madeleine Wells ’30. Joshi’s victory marked the third time since the inception of the HRA Middle School Spelling Bee in 2020 that a Navigator has advanced to the national level, following her own prior triumph last year and then-eighth grader Parker Muench’s regional win in 2021.
It has been a semester of remarkable academic accomplishments for Joshi. This spring, having attained the top cumulative grade point average in her class, she earned Highest Honors and was recognized with the prestigious eighth-grade Scholarship Award. Beyond campus, she participated in the MATHCOUNTS middle school mathematics state competition, hosted by Virginia Tech on March 28. According to Middle School math teacher Rafael Zornitta, the fact that Joshi qualified for this contest for the second year in row represents “an ‘exponential’ achievement.”
For Joshi, however, the stakes were never higher—nor was her preparation ever more intense—than in the case of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Having relied mostly on rote memorization of individual words last year, she explained, she shifted her strategy for the 2026 Bee to “focus on language patterns and root origins,” especially for challenging French and German terms. “This new approach allowed me to successfully decode unfamiliar words on stage and ultimately advance further in the competition.”
Through this experience, Joshi gained far more than just a broadened vocabulary.
“The most valuable thing I learned is that success comes from consistent hard work, not just luck,” she said. “Preparing for the Bee taught me how to discipline myself, manage my time, and stay focused on a long-term goal. Even when facing incredibly difficult words, I learned to trust my preparation and stay calm under pressure.”
With the competition behind her, Joshi shared a celebratory dinner and boba tea with her family before starting a well-earned summer break.
HRA is proud to congratulate this outstanding speller and scholar as she prepares to embark on a new adventure in the Upper School!
Joshi’s return to the Scripps National Spelling Bee has also been featured on WAVY TV 10 and WTKR News 3 and in the Washington Post.
