LEHI, Utah — Thirteen-year-old Roshan Kaushik of Lehi has always dreamed of stepping onto the national stage—and now that dream is coming true.
Roshan Kaushik, a 7th grader at Challenger School Traverse Mountain Campus, is one of three students representing Utah this week at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland. “I’ve always wanted to go there,” Roshan said, recalling memories of watching the Spelling Bee on TV with his dad when he was in grade school.
After three years of trying, the third time proved to be the charm for Roshan.
While he admits to getting nervous during competitions, he says he keeps his cool thanks to the support from his parents. “They always tell me I hide it pretty well,” he said.
Roshan is more than just a spelling star. He balances his academic passion with a wide range of interests—he plays basketball, swims, studies math, and plays piano. He even runs a YouTube history channel featuring detailed explorations of everything from Alexander the Great to the Roman Republic.
“I love history, and things like Greek and Latin roots play a huge role in spelling,” Roshan explained. “That really attracted me to wanting to do this.”
Despite the hard work, Roshan says the Bee is still fun. “There’s definitely exciting parts. I love just taking part in competitions,” he said. “But there are also times where it is work. You have to study. So I’d say it’s both.”
As for the $50,000 grand prize? He has plans for that, too: “Save it for college. Definitely.”
