Jayden Jiang, 11, took home first place on Saturday in the Philly regional spelling bee, co-hosted by WHYY and Billy Penn. The fifth-grader at Girard Academic Music Program will represent Philly at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Washington, D.C, for the second year in a row.
When asked how he felt about qualifying, Jayden said, “good, excited, but very nervous during the spelling.” That was never apparent to those present, as he appeared confident throughout the competition.
Jiang faced talented competitors with impressive spelling abilities: Sofia Korschun, an eight-grader from Julia R. Masterman School, and Janee Nguyen, a seventh-grader from Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School, placed second and third, respectively. Korschun and Jiang went back and forth for six rounds before Jiang prevailed.
As Jiang prepares for his return trip to Washington, D.C. for the national bee during Memorial Day week, he is surrounded by a supportive team that believes in his abilities.
His family was in the front row throughout the entire event. “I feel very proud and excited and happy for him. I think he deserves it,” said his mom, Xiaojuan Ke, who allowed she was “not too surprised because he likes quizzing, he almost never makes mistakes.”
Xiaojuan believes that her son’s talent comes from his study habits and love of reading from a very young age. But she says his “natural talent” has been noticeable since he was about 1 year old. “Before he could say a sentence, he already knew how to spell,” Xiaojuan recalled. “I read with him, and then I started to spell words for him, and he would pick them up very quickly and repeat the word.”
The family only learned about the spelling bee program when Jayden was in third grade. “And then he said, ‘Mom, I want to do it,’ ” Xiaojuan said. And so, their journey began.
After competing at nationals last year, Jiang took a break and only started studying the 4,000 words for Saturday’s competition two weeks ago, his mom said.
But when he studies, he is consistent. “I usually just do it every day — before school, after school and, if I can, inside of school,” Jiang said. When he’s not practicing his spelling, he likes to play the violin, have some fun, watch TV, “and eat and sleep and, I guess, repeat.”
Jiang ‘s favorite word he spelled in the competition last year was “rhapsody,” and this year it is “juxtaposed.”
The event, at the WHYY Studios near Independence Mall, drew a packed house of family, friends and teachers of the competitors. It comes a week after the South Jersey tournament was held in the same place and won by Isaac Geremew, 12, a seventh-grader at William Davies Middle School, in Mays Landing, N.J.
