TAMPA, Fla. — The Largo teen who won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee arrived at Tampa International Airport on Tuesday evening.
Dozens of friends and teachers waited for him to arrive home. 14-year-old Dev Shah caught a flight to Tampa from New York and arrived at the airport around 7:00 p.m.
"I do appreciate the surprise and it was very welcoming and warm just to know everyone was here," he said.
On June 1, he was named the champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He won a trophy and a $50,000 prize.
The winning word was "psammophile," an organism that thrives or prefers a sandy area.
Before spelling the word, he asked for all the information on the word, including its definition.
"When I heard the word, it was like a feeling of relief because I was really stressed before then, but I studied the word before and I was confident I knew it," said 14-year-old Dev Shah.
Shah is the first person to win the National Spelling Bee from Florida since 1999.
"I do want more Floridians to win the spelling bee because I’m the first in like 25 years, so I hope that changes, and I’ll gladly help that change," Shah said.
His former teachers described Shah as hardworking, determined and fun to be around.
"Since I've seen him growing up, he's a serious kid, but he does not just study. He also plays tennis. He plays cello," said Pratibha Desai, a family friend.
"I just cried. I was so excited for him. I still am. I can't imagine how he feels," said Shari Dirks, Dev's former third-grade teacher.
Shah previously competed in 2019 and again in 2021. He has been competing in spelling bees since the third grade.
"I just signed up for a spelling bee and let fate choose the rest of the path," he said.
Shah acknowledged not everyone is good at spelling, but he offered reassurance.
"It's okay now because now we have spell check, so you don't really have to know," he said.
Shah recently graduated from Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Largo.
