South Florida spellers compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee

Two South Florida students have advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

13-year-old Camila Sanchez Izquierdo and 11-year-old Jasmine Perez are both from Miami.

Camila advanced to round three on Tuesday, after spelling the words “au blue” and “harbinger” correctly.

When asked where her favorite place was, Camilas answered, “Barnes & Noble.”

“I often find hidden gems there, and I love the atmosphere of the store,” said Camila.

Jasmine, now an inspiration to other spellers around the country for competing was asked where she gets her inspiration. She said from Gymnast Simone Biles.

“Everything she does is executed perfectly, and on the rare occasion she does something wrong, she gets right back up,” said Jasmine.

Jasmine made it until round one. She spelled the word “prêt-à-porter” incorrectly.

This year, 245 spellers from around the world have advanced to nationals and will compete in four segments, starting with the preliminaries.

The competition, sponsored by the Miami Herald, will run through Thursday, May 30.

Last year’s winner, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, Dev Shah won $50,000.

Dev’s winning word was “psammophile.”