Nandipati, an eighth-grader at Francis Parker School in San Diego who was making her second Spelling Bee appearance in her final year of eligibility, clinched victory by correctly spelling the French derived word, 'guetapens' (which means ambush, snare or trap).
A total of 15 Indian-American students, including six girls, have made it to the national Spelling Bee semifinals, making it almost one-third of the total 42 candidates who have qualified.
Two Indian-Americans -- Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe -- have scripted history by becoming co-champions of the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, the first since 1962.