UMich Community Essay Anonymous

Your word is maudlin. Maudlin. Can you spell that, please? I confidently rattle off “M-O-D-E-L-I-N-G,” only for my jaw to drop once I hear my coach rule Incorrect.

Since being coached that first night in Grade 6, I’ve been part of the Spelling Bee community, with my first competition laying bare the vast number of living beings, things and ideas in our world that I didn’t even know the word to describe (much less how to spell). I’ve thus come to reject the view of spelling bee competitors as merely reciters of word lists, which neglects the intense intellectual curiosity they display. As I discovered, having to spell words outside of my list in playoff rounds has pushed me to peruse books and other media on topics ranging from low-lying plants to traditional Chinese clothing. I thus constantly pushed the boundaries of my academic comfort zones into areas I’ve never studied before.

Speaking of breaking comfort zones, the Spelling Bee was also my first volunteer position. I was tasked with coaching, which meant convincing nervous students that it would be totally worth their time to learn the name of an obscure genus of seagulls. I guided spellers through the humbling experience of discovering how to describe unfamiliar parts of...