West Texas kids to take on 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee marks the competition’s centennial, and contestants from across the United States are vying for the champion title. Two attending wordsmiths hail from San Angelo and Abilene — here’s who they are.

According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website,

the 2025 contest will take place from May 27 to May 29 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. There, 243 spellers will compete in the preliminaries, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals rounds to determine who will become the champion of the spelling bee’s 100th-anniversary contest.

San Angelo — Jarah Abarquez

Jarah Abarquez is a 14-year-old attending Angelo Catholic School as an eighth grader.

Danica Jimenez, marketing manager for the school, said Jarah has been spelling and competing in spelling contests from a young age. Jimenez said Jarah has been training since the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year for the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, participating in multiple spelling bees during that time.

“We are proud of all the accomplishments Jarah has made,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said Angelo Catholic School is praying for Jarah and her family as the spelling bee draws near.

“We pray for her family to have safe travels, and we are praying that God stays on her mind and in her hands as she goes to compete in the spelling bee,” Jimenez said.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee website‘s entry for Jarah says that “she likes making new friends and planning hangouts” and “has a deep love for fashion, aesthetics and poetry.” Her favorite athlete is Isabeau Levito, her favorite historical figure is Anastasia Nikolaevna and her favorite food is lumpia.

San Angelo isn’t a stranger to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Akash Vukoti, a 15-year-old Central High School student, has competed in the spelling bee six times. He has garnered national attention from his exploits in the contest, featuring in multiple documentaries and authoring his own book, “Spelling Anything (Even Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis).”

Abilene — Sariah Titus

Sariah Titus, a 12-year-old and seventh grade student of Wylie West Junior High School, is once again competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The contest’s online entry for Sariah states that she has previously competed in the 2023 spelling bee, where she tied for 122nd place, and the 2024 spelling bee, where she tied for 192nd place.

“It’s not a competition for her, it’s just something she loves to do,” Crystal Titus, Sariah’s mother, said.

Crystal Titus said her daughter, who learned to read when she was 2.5 years old, has been training for this year’s national bee ever since she participated in a local spelling bee in December 2024. She said Sariah has been training by reading a dictionary, using a specialized phone application and practicing spelling interesting words — including Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, the name of a hill in New Zealand known globally for its 85-character title.

“She loves learning, and she loves teaching herself all kinds of things,” Crystal Titus said.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee website’s entry for Sariah says her hobbies include “singing, reading and learning in general.” Also stated is that she “loves to listen to music, try new foods, hang out with friends whenever possible, play video games and watch true crime content.”

The website says she is currently learning German. Her favorite animal is the panda, her favorite food is sushi and her favorite song is Modern Talking’s “Atlantis is Calling (S.O.S. For Love).”

For more information on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, including how to watch the competition as it unfolds, visit the contest’s website. To see a complete list of all spellers attending this year’s event, visit the website’s Meet the Spellers webpage.