LOUISIANA — Zaila Avant-garde already made history as the first African American winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, and now one university is offering her a full ride.
Louisiana State University president William F. Tate IV tweeted Saturday that Avant-garde's academic performance reflected scholarship first and modeled intellectual excellence. He offered her a full scholarship to LSU.
Zaila Avant-garde @basketballasart performed at the highest level in the National Spelling Bee. Your academic performance reflected scholarship first! You modeled intellectual excellence. @LSU_Honors awaits. I write to offer you a full scholarship to attend LSU. Here for you! pic.twitter.com/LopV3bdeWI
— William F. Tate IV (@WFTate4) July 10, 2021
The 8th grader from Louisiana spelled the word murraya correctly to win the Bee. Besides her academic success, the Associated Press reports the 14-year-old is a basketball prodigy who holds three Guinness World Records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.
Zaila @Basketballasart has already accomplished so much at just 14 years old, and we hope she will join us in the future as a student of @LSU and the Ogden Honors College where she can forge a path as a leader and innovator in any field she chooses. https://t.co/6lTNtfBEJb
— Ogden Honors College (@LSU_Honors) July 10, 2021
