North Andover 4th Grader To Compete In National Spelling Bee

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Eight months ago 10-year-old Ashrita Gandhari, of North Andover, was one of 11 million spellers who started a journey in classrooms across America.

They shared one dream: make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in Washington, D.C.

Gandhari, speller number 214, will compete against 291 speller, including three other from Massachusetts who will compete starting this weekend in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Gandhari, 10, a 4th grader at Franklin Elementary School, found an interest in reading books when she was four years old.

Her favorite books are Hush, Lara’s Gift, The Mighty Miss Malone andCounting by 7s. Her favorite author is Jacqueline Woodson, who is the official poet laureate of the United States.

Being a voracious reader, spelling was second nature for Gandhari , who began her spelling bee journey as a kindergartner when she first participated in South Asian Spelling Bee.

Outside of academics, she is part of her school's writing program. Playing the piano is her passion, and she has been learning since she was six years old. She is also learning Bollywood dancing.

Gandhari really likes to swim and enjoys playing soccer, tennis and badminton. Her idol is tennis star Serena Williams.

Gandhari would like to be an exobiologist and explore the life chances on other planets such as Mars. In her spare time, she likes to cook and watch movies, including her favorite movie, The Jungle Book.

Meet the other Massachusetts spellers:

Sam Fetters
Speller No. 12
West Tisbury, Massachusetts

Farah Haniff
Speller No. 134
Boston, Massachusett

Torah Smith

Speller No. 248

Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Courtesy photos.