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Shutterstock.com (background, bees); Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock (Faizan Zaki)

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A Big Win

August 25, 2025
by Alicia Green

Reaching a goal can take a lot of hard work. Just ask 13-year-old Faizan Zaki of Allen, Texas. 

Faizan first took part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019. He came in 370th place. This year? He won the top prize! 

In May, Faizan beat out about 240 other spellers from across the country. He earned more than $50,000. His big win taught him an important lesson. He learned to never give up.

“I wanted to do better,” he says. “So I kept working harder and harder.”

In fact, Faizan spent five to six hours after school each day studying for the Bee. He pushed himself to learn up to 5,000 words every day. 

How did it feel to finally reach his goal? 

“It’s so amazing,” Faizan says. “I was really happy.”    

You Can Do It!

Want to reach YOUR goals? Here are Faizan’s biggest tips.

Stick With It

You may feel discouraged if you don’t reach your goal on the first try. But keep working at it! 

Ask for Help

There were times when Faizan wanted to quit. At those times, he turned to his parents for support.  

Be Kind to Yourself

You’ll likely make some mistakes. But don’t be too hard on yourself. We learn from our mistakes.

  1. How do you think Faizan felt after the 2019 Bee? How did he feel after this year’s Bee?
  2. What do you think would be another good title for this article? Explain your answer.
  3. What does Faizan mean when he says to “be kind to yourself”?
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