Sacramento regional spelling champ cites hard work and confidence for her successes

P-O-H-U-T-U-K-A-W-A.

Pohutukawa means the New Zealand Christmas bush. And it’s just one of the many words that 13-year-old Shireen Abdolmohammadi learned in preparation for this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Shireen, a seventh grader in Redding, is a two time national-qualifying spelling bee competitor. She won the Sacramento regional competition earlier this year and then competed this month in the virtual, second vocabulary round of the Scripps national bee but could not advance when she was unable to define the word “terminus.”

The competition finals are set for next month.

Shireen previously competed at the national bee in 2019; the 2020 bee was canceled for the first time since 1965 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shireen learned about the spelling bee from her mom and her teacher in fourth grade. She said she’s always had a knack for learning the spellings of words.

To prepare for the spelling bee, Shireen starts months ahead. When the event comes closer, she studies for about four to five hours each day, either in the mornings or in the evenings after homework.

The best three tips that she can give to a future spelling bee competitor is to “study, be confident and focus.” Confidence is a key part of spelling because it helps you recall the correct word, Shireen said.

Shireen’s favorite part of spelling bees is asking questions about the words she gets. She is able to help figure out spelling by identifying a word’s prefix or suffix, its meaning and definition, and its language of origin.

Language of origin has been the most helpful piece of information, Shireen said. That not only tells where the word is from but also its history. Shireen connects patterns in the originating language to determine how to spell the word.

To advance to the national spelling bee, Shireen first won her school bee to qualify for regionals. At regionals, she took an initial qualifying vocabulary exam before going through 10 rounds of competition against 25 other students.

This year, the format of the spelling bee was changed.

There was an added oral round asking competitors for the definitions of words in addition to a written exam. Typically students compete in person in Washington, D.C; this year, the format for the first two rounds was done remotely.

Shireen is fluent in Farsi as well as English, and is learning French, Spanish and Swedish. Learning languages “helps a little” with her success in spelling bees, Shireen says.

The last time a student can participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee is during the eighth grade. In high school, Shireen said she hopes to coach other kids on how to succeed in spelling bees.

At Grant Elementary School in Redding, Shireen’s two favorite subjects are math and English. When she is not preparing for her competitions, she plays soccer and directs short films with her sister. One of her recent films was about two French friends meeting in a restaurant. She also enjoys reading Harry Potter; her preferred house is Slytherin.