Waiting for a Blessing

For the first time in years, Nidharshan Anandasivam won’t be competing in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, and nobody is happier about that than Blessing Taclobao.

Blessing, this year’s Rio Grande Valley Spelling Bee champion, witnessed Anandasivam’s dominance year after year.

Anandasivam had been an insurmountable obstacle for Valley spellers, but he exhausted his eligibility last year, paving the way for Blessing.

But, her victory was no fluke. In fact, few came as close to the prize as Blessing, who finished second and third place the last two years.

Now, it’s her turn in the spotlight.

The 12-year-old from Brownsville earned her ticket to Washington, D.C., this year to compete for the national title with the nation’s best.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Blessing said of her triumph. “I was thankful to finally get the chance to win.”

To prepare for the competition, the Vela Middle School student has been reading the dictionary.

Now in seventh grade, Blessing has been competing in spelling bees since she was a fourth-grader.

From the beginning, she discovered a talent for spelling, qualifying for the regional bee on her first try.

She attributes her success in bees to her preference for reading books, which surely helped build her vocabulary, she said.

No matter how much time she dedicates to study, her father, Richard, believes success in a bee has as much to do with the words that you get as vocabulary.

“She’s been studying Latin with her coach (Denise Leal) and reading the dictionary at home, but it comes down to if you are familiar with the word,”

Blessing won the regional competition with the word effulgent.

She hopes for the best this week in Washington, but she knows that the words will get tougher, and the spellers will be more accomplished.

Richard thinks perhaps expectations are a bit high considering the success of her predecessor.

“People might think because Nidharshan finished eighth that Blessing will do the same,” Richard said. “She just needs to go and do her best, and we’ll see what happens.”

At school on Friday, Blessing’s friends wished her well on the national stage.

She leaves for Washington with her family and coach on Sunday.

A history buff, Blessing is looking forward to visiting some of the city’s museums and historical sites before the bee.

Day one of the competition begins on Wednesday.

“I wish I’d studied more, but I’ll try to do my best in Washington,” Blessing said.