By Meena Kar
Washington, June 6, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Anamika Veeramani went on to become the third consecutive Indian -American to win the Bee Championship.

On Friday, the 14-year-old did not seem visibly nervous as she calmly proceeded with the challenge to spell the word “stromuhr” which is a medical term. She kept her hand behind and did not break into a smile until the trophy of the Bee Champion was handed over to her.

Anamika Veeramani of North Royalton, Ohio, not only received the prestigious trophy but also a cash prize of $40,000.

Anamika Veeramani had come up with flying colors from the very beginning of the spelling competition. On Friday, she survived the spelling round of “Juvia”, a Brazil nut. After the 3 and 1/2 minute commercial break which the winner said did not help her situation in any way and was rather “nerve-racking”, Anamika Veeramani returned to spell the decisive word.

After her win, Anamika Veeramani mentioned that the experience was “too surreal” and added that it was an amazing experience.

The Bee Championship title was won by Sameer Mishra in 2008 and Kavya Shivashankar in 2009. On Friday Kavya Shivashankar congratulated Anamika Veeramani onstage and mentioned that it is not the nationality that matter but the passion for words that count in Bee.

Anamika Veeramani said that all previous winners have acted as inspiration for her to make it big in the show. The winner has said to media sources that she would like to attend Harvard University and become a cardiovascular surgeon.

However, she also added that she is saddened by the fact that after the 8th grade there are no more spelling opportunities.