LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It may be summer break for 14-year-old Bella-Claire Nguyen but she is still studying every single day.
"I'd say at least seven hours a week," Nguyen said. "It definitely feels a bit scary. It is a lot of pressure."
Over the last few months, Nguyen said she's been going through the dictionary with a fine-tooth comb to help increase her chances of coming out on top at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Nguyen is one of two spelling bee champs from Nevada who will be heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Competition in Maryland.
"I've been on the spelling bee app," Nguyen told me. "It's called Word Club and they also gave us access to Merriam-Webster so you can also look at that."
12-year-old Arabella Mendoza said she has also been studying nonstop ahead of the competition.
"After regionals, I put in an hour to two hours a day," Mendoza said.
The spelling bee champ tells me she never thought she would be in the top spot at her school, let alone headed to the biggest spelling stage in the country.
"I was very excited because I had never been to the East Coast," Mendoza said. "I'll get to meet people who have the same interests as me and possibly make new friends."
She said her teachers and classmates are all rooting her on in her quest for success.
"My teachers and classmates are all very excited. Some of my friends always ask me to spell stuff."
Both teens tell Channel 13 this is a nerve-wracking but rewarding experience.
"I feel really rewarded because of all the hard work I put in to study and all the time I put in for that," Mendoza said.
"I just wish I make Nevada proud, my parents proud, and I'll just try my best," Nguyen said.
