The Scripps National Spelling Bee celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and former champions say the bee has changed ...

The bee winner in 1991 at age 13, Lagatta nonetheless struggled adjusting to life outside her rural hometown of Clintonville, Wisconsin — until she got a push from a professor who was a devoted ...

National Spelling Bee Champions Say It Set Them up for Success: 'You Attain a Level of Mastery' Joanne Lagatta arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1995 with a flawless academic record and an ...

“I went in thinking I was a smart kid who had won a National Spelling Bee, and I must be able to compete with the highest-level academic kids. I signed up for a bunch of advanced classes I ...

Joanne Lagatta arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1995 with a flawless academic record and an achievement on her resume that she didn’t like to talk about — but that no other undergrad ...