Show-Me State Times

Sonia Kulkarni emerged victorious for the second consecutive year at the 2024 St. Louis Regional Spelling Bee held at Saint Louis University. Kulkarni's impressive win secured her a spot in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. Speaking about her win, Kulkarni expressed her joy, stating, "It felt great to win again because it shows my hard work really paid off and that last year wasn’t just a fluke."

The competition was intense, with Kulkarni and other top spellers showcasing their skills. Ryan Wilson, Senior Director of Community and Student Engagement at SLU, commended the participants, highlighting the importance of events like the Spelling Bee in preparing students for the future. Wilson remarked, "We want our first graders, second graders to know what it feels like stepping on a college campus and see our students, see the morale and feel the energy that college brings."

Kulkarni's victory came after a rigorous competition that lasted 16 rounds, with Kulkarni ultimately triumphing in the 16th round against fellow contestant Pritika Prasanth. Wilson, who has overseen the Spelling Bee for the past two years at SLU, expressed his delight with this year's event, emphasizing the excitement and positive atmosphere it brought to all involved.

With her win, Kulkarni is now set to represent Saint Louis University at the national level in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., aiming to build upon her performance from the previous year.