What participant’s say about Spelling Bee contests

North South Foundation: A beckoning light in my life

Adnan Zubair

(Adnan Zubair is now a freshman at U. C. Berkley, and is a very motivated freshman. He had written to the foundation in February 2002 on his experiences with North South Foundation)

I have been involved with the North South Foundation since 1999, when I was a freshman at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California. In 1999 I won second place in the LA regional vocabulary contest. The next year (2000), I did the same but also decided to go to the nationals and ended up the national champ, to my delight.

In 2001, I acted as a pronouncer for the region, as per bylaws of the foundation I can't participate in the competition any more. I will also do so again this year, 2002.

To me the foundation has been a springboard for further success. Aside from the obvious educational benefits, the social benefits of the foundation are just as noteworthy. It exposed me to a completely different environment by annually bringing together bright youths for whom the competition itself is only part of the fun. For most of the contestants, the conversations they have with other like-minded individuals are as important as fulfilling the purpose of the competition. It helped me realize where I stood compared with other students my age, in which areas I lacked, or maybe excelled. But one cannot totally ignore the educational side of the competitions. Some wonder if there even is any educational side to memorizing the spelling or definition of a word. Can't we just look it up in a dictionary? The situation is not as simple as the question at hand. Memorization, although seemingly useless in today's world of high-tech searching, is the most basic tool in giving one's brain mental, and admittedly menial, exercise. It is analogous to lifting weights - memorization builds 'mental muscle'. The makers of the SATs know this all too well. They also realize that in order to take an active role in our society, one must be equipped with a "basic" arsenal of advanced words.

I have stayed with the foundation for so long because I believe in its mission of helping south Asians better themselves through education. This philosophy needs to be instilled in the heart of every south Asian kid, and I am happy to be an aid to the foundation in achieving that goal. I wish every South Asian kid, like me, takes advantage of these competitions which help to succeed in life

The Story That Inspired Me

Krishnan Chandra
3rd Place, Senior Spelling Bee

I went to a movie in the Mugar Omni Theater, in the Boston Science Museum. It was called Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure. This is the movie that inspired me. It was about Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, a British explorer. Shackleton made a daring expedition to Antarctica to map its islands. Except that he didn’t know he was in for a hectic adventure!

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was born in Kildare, Ireland in 1874. His first taste of the sea came in 1900, when he joined Robert Scott’s Discovery expedition to the North Pole. He came back a couple years later, having achieved nothing. Then he made an expedition on his own, the Nimrod, in 1907-1909. He had hoped to reach the South Pole,, made it all the way to Antarctica, but fell just short of the South Pole. On his next expedition, the Trans-Antarctic, he had hoped to cross Antarctica end to end.

The Trans-Antarctic was going to be a dream come true for the lives of the crew of the ship Endurance. Shackleton and his crew would become famous for finding a way through Antarctica, if indeed they were successful. So Shackleton set sail from London in August 1914. He got to South Georgia Island, in the Pacific, in 1915. But the whalers there warned him not to try for the Antarctic. They told him to wait till the following year. However, Shackleton didn’t listen, and he faced dire consequences. The ship, the Endurance, got crushed and sank in ice packs in Antarctica. Then Shackleton and his men were forced to camp on the ice, taking only the lifeboats from the ship. One day, the ice packs melted and Shackleton and his crew launched their lifeboats. They sailed some 300 miles, to a place called Elephant Island, in the South Pacific. From there, Shackleton tried to go back to South Georgia Island, another 800 miles away, with five men to fetch a steamer. They went rolling and pitching in the sea for days. Finally, after 8 days they reached South Georgia Island. They tried to take a ship back to Elephant Island to pickup their comrades that were left behind, but failed, not once but thrice. Each time, they had trouble with ice packs. On the fourth attempt, Shackleton sailed the steamer Yelcho to Elephant Island. From there they sailed back to South Georgia, and then to England. Not a single man died during these travels. It was 1916 by the time Shackleton and his crew returned back, two years after the start of the expedition and Shackleton became a hero. But he wasn’t satisfied. In 1922, he went on another expedition aboard the steamer Quest. Unfortunately, aboard this ship he died of a heart attack. The crew later buried him in Antarctica. I feel Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was the greatest Antarctic explorer ever.
This story inspires and motivates me because Shackleton repeatedly tried to rescue his men. He repeatedly tried to reach the South Pole. His determination was at an exemplary level. I want to have that level of determination in whatever I do in life.

Man, why is my mom dragging me to these contests?

Kamran M. Riaz

(Kamran M. Riaz is currently a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Guaranteed Professional Program of Admissions (GPPA) – Medicine, with History and Economics Major)

"Man, I have to study these stupid words and compete in this stupid competition on a stupid Saturday morning at this stupid place in front of all these stupid people?" When my mother first told me about the North South Foundation’s Spelling/Vocabulary Contest many years ago, this was the first thought going on in my head. I wondered why my mom would waste a perfectly good Saturday of mine to drag me to such competitions. Now, however, as I look at this rumination of mine, I can’t help but realize: "Man, I didn’t know many words back then."

The Spelling and Vocabulary contests are not just about the associated scholarships, public recognition, and competing at the national level. The contests are about educating our youth, and preparing them to face the challenges that will inevitably arise in the world of higher academia. Considering that many of us are first-generation Americans, we may not necessarily be exposed to advanced English and vocabulary during our formative years. The contests seek to remedy that. By stimulating our youth to study abstruse words, the Foundation has played a vital role in equipping our youth with the tools they will need to succeed in high school, standardized exams, and higher fields of education and employment.

People love big words. Seriously, I can say from personal experience that you will be amazed in all amazement when you understand how many people will respect and admire a person with a highly developed vocabulary. Obviously, this helps on SAT and other exams. More importantly, a person with a strong command over the English language is a much more competitive applicant in college, grad school, and employment interviews. I have seen first hand how people with lesser academic credentials but with strong vocabulary am more successful than their counterparts who may be academically more superior, but lack an effective vocabulary.

As I continue my journey of higher education, I consider the Spelling and Vocabulary competitions to be one of the catalysts that stimulated my interest and success in higher learning. While I didn’t understand or appreciate the Foundation’s efforts when I was young, I am truly grateful for their efforts (as well as my mom dragging me to the contests) to light the flame of knowledge in the hearts of our youth. I sincerely hope that other parents take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to plant the seeds of learning in the hearts of their own children, and I pray that the Foundation continues to have a positive impact on our communities.

I am ready...! Are you...?

Raghav Srinivasan,
2nd place, Senior Spelling Bee

On the August 3, 2002 when I entered the Wong Auditorium for the spelling bee championship, the first thing that caught my eye was the number of volunteers, of whom many were teenagers and students along with the adults. They were there not for their own benefit, but for helping the community. When I spoke to a volunteer, who is a Brown University student, I was amazed to hear that he had traveled all night long to be at the venue and got up early in the morning to work for the program. I started thinking about what drives these people to contribute their time and energy to our community’s cause? It’s the spirit of volunteerism.

Whenever there was a calamity, natural disaster or a community event more than money, the volunteers are the key for the operations. Volunteers in this country have proved time and again, how selfless they are and how people are benefiting from their contribution. I still have the images of the 9/11 where the volunteers from all walks of life helped save lives and help in rebuilding the city and the confidence of the people.

What it is like to be a volunteer to help someone? I have experienced it a couple of times. When I was helping to deliver food baskets to the poor people in my community that was the first time I happened to realize how fortunate I was. When I handed the food basket to the person, the gratitude in the eyes of the receiver made me think that I am contributing something to this society, rather than watching television or killing my time in some useless way. I felt productive. That led me to volunteer for the Special Olympics program for the disabled at Trenton.

I had to dress up as peanuts and bananas to entertain the athletes and along with my friends I pushed their wheelchairs and cheered them when they won their races. It gave us all a wonderful feeling. In fact I received more than what I gave during my stints as a volunteer.

There is no age barrier for being a volunteer. What we need is our motivation and time to share, for our causes. "It takes a village to raise a child!" It takes a group of people to do something for the community and the world. So let’s all try to share our time and skills for a noble cause and build the world to be a nice place to live for our generation. Why not enroll as a volunteer for the North South Foundation and help our community here as well as in India? I am ready! Are you...

The Key to Success

Kiran R. Pendri
Grade 7, Glastonbury, CT

"We cannot direct the wind! But we can adjust the sails." General Achilles uttered these great words as he led his troops to war. The North South Foundation has also realized that the wind cannot be directed, for that is God’s job. But it has been adjusting the sails on the great boat of success. This organization has made it possible for many people who may not have had a chance for an education, a chance for success in this world, to have one. For the many people who have been given that prospect by North South Foundation, it means the world to them. The bonds that held them back before have been cut loose, and opportunity has just knocked on their door.

I believe that education is something that everyone should be able to have without any barriers. Most of the people in this country don’t realize that in many parts of the world an education is not just as easy as going on a bus and going to school. In some cases it is a fifteen-mile walk to a one-room school. The ambition of all young people should be to help the underprivileged to reach their dreams.

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill, a great leader proclaimed these words. Generation after generation, we humans have tried to excel, to better the life of everyone on this Earth. Today, we strive to achieve this goal ever more fiercely. The challenge for the future generations is to reach the one and ultimate goal, that every man, woman, and child has an education. That is the key to success.

Word, Words, and More Words!

Anand Oza
North Potomac, MD

I have competed in the North South Foundation Bees for four years, since I was in the third grade. Not only are they fun, but these competitions have also had a very favorable influence on me.

Since I started participating in the vocabulary bee, my vocabulary has grown immensely. It continues to grow because I love to read, and now instead of guessing definitions from context clues, I frequently take the initiative to look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary. I could see these words again in next year's vocabulary bee, which gives me more incentive to learn them properly. As my vocabulary has increased, my reading level has also increased.

Educational contests are important because vocabulary and mathematics are highly important life skills. Spelling is also a crucial skill - almost everything in life involves writing. To get any job, you need to write a good application with proper spelling and a good vocabulary. Math is also crucial, whether calculating satellite orbits for NASA or even just paying grocery money.

In the third and fourth grades, I competed in the spelling bee. Last year, in fifth grade, I participated in both the spelling and vocabulary bees, earning regional 2nd and 1st place awards, respectively. At last year's national vocabulary bee, I earned 5th place. This year, in sixth grade, I won 1st place in both regional mathematics and vocabulary. I am very excited about participating in the 2004 National Vocabulary and Mathematics Bee in Arizona!

Value of Education

Neha Govindraj

Why should one be educated? That is a frequently asked question, with an abundance of answers. Education is one of the greatest assets a person can own because it opens the door for more opportunities, and benefits both the individual and the society.

Pretend an engineer didn't value his education and he paid as little attention in school as possible. This might not seem like a big deal to him, but the repercussions could be far from good: He could miscalculate an equation for the construction of a bridge or a highway. Not only is this a poor reflection of how much he values education, but his mistake could endanger the lives of many people.

Imagine going to a doctor who had no clue what she is doing. Most people have blind faith where doctors are concerned. What would happen if a person who should be fully trained in medicine - wasn't? The result of a poorly trained doctor could cost unsuspecting people their lives.

The examples above show how the lack of proper training and/or education can play a major role in hurting people. A good education can not only help strengthen the purpose of one's own life, but can also make a big difference in the lives of others.

From Remiss to Responsible

Sravya Durbha

At the beginning of the year, I wasn't really into studying things. I would pay sharp attention to the teacher in class, but after I got home from school, the information would melt away in front of the TV.

I would get lots of lectures from my parents, but I still did nothing about it. Finally, summer was here, and I was wasting my time more than ever. I was a butterfly flitting from the TV to the computer to the cul-de-sac in front of my house. I was like the young Arjun in Mahabharatha who, when asked to aim the arrow and describe what he saw, described everything around him. The Vocab Bee Nationals were coming up fast. My dad bought some vocabulary books for me. I looked through them for a while, but then I was quickly bored.

My dad also kept lecturing me. After one particularly persuasive lecture, I went to see what was so interesting about vocabulary. The truth is, it was pretty interesting. I started learning a few hard words each night and discussing them with my dad. I did this and actually found it fun. Now, I am studying every day and even doing math problems. I found that I forgot the words sometimes, but I wrote them down and studied and memorized them. I became a bit like Arjun who learned to concentrate and saw only his target and nothing else. The butterfly found the sweetest flower. I believe my studying habits are much better now, and I am sure that when 7th Grade and Vocab Bee come, I will be ready.

Since the Vocabulary Bee Nationals are coming up, I think that I should keep studying to get better. Even as I write this, I remember how I used to think about what the big deal was about these contests. Now it amazes me that I actually find vocabulary fun and interesting. I finally get the hang of this. Even if I don't win the Nationals, I will always remember the fun I had and the words I learned studying for it.

The butterfly is shining in its brightest colors.