Florida Teen Claims National Spelling Bee Crown

Say what you want about Florida, but we've got ourselves a spelling prodigy in the house! Now i won't be joining any spelling completion anytime soon. I have a hard time spelling "Cape Coral" or "Tallahassee" without the help of spell check.  Not this young Floridian. According to CBS News, it's Dev Shah, a 14-year-old wunderkind from Largo, Florida, just dropped a linguistic bomb on the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

When they asked Shah about his mind-blowing victory, he couldn't help but express his disbelief. I mean, can you blame the guy? He's still quaking like an over-caffeinated chihuahua. And just picture the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he vanquished his final opponent, poor Charlotte Walsh from Arlington, Virginia. Walsh stumbled on "daviely," giving Shah the golden opportunity to swoop in and claim the spelling throne. The suspense is killing me!

To secure his rightful spot in the Spelling Bee hall of fame, Shah had to tackle a total of 15 words. It's no small feat to become the 95th champion of this prestigious competition, let alone walk away with a sweet $50,000 cash prize! Shah's spelling skills are the investment of a lifetime, folks! Forget the stock market; just learn how to spell.

https://twitter.com/ScrippsBee/status/1664454698256986113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1664454698256986113%7Ctwgr%5Ef6effb60085b0f187c6722a75217316c4c7d2372%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fdev-shah-wins-2023-scripps-spelling-bee-psammophile-largo-florida%2F

When it all boiled down to the final moments, Shah and Walsh remained standing. Shah, the master of tongue-twisters, aced his last word, "bathypitotmeter." Meanwhile, poor Walsh stumbled on "daviely," sealing her fate as the runner-up. Better luck next time, Charlotte! Maybe invest in a spelling coach or a good luck charm shaped like a dictionary.

Thankfully, this year's spelling showdown didn't turn into an eternal saga. No need for a dreaded "spell-off," sparing us from endless hours of alphabet-induced torture. The organizers had the good sense to introduce the spell-off last year, after an unbelievable eight-way tie in 2019. I mean, can you imagine the struggle of coming up with a witty headline for that madness? Thank goodness for small mercies.

So big congratulations to you Dev Shah! You're the spelling sensation of the year! May your words always be spelled right, and may your legs find solace in their newfound steadiness.

I'm seeing pictures all over my socials of graduations in Estero, Naples, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, and all across Southwest Florida. For most of you, it's off to your next adventure. College. College can be challenging, fun, and a tremendous life changing experience. It can also saddle you with a LOT of student loan debt. So today we'll be looking at the Highest Paying College Majors - Bachelor Degree Programs.

About that. You really need to treat the Student Loan Forgiveness idea like it's never going to happen. There's challenges to it in congress, and there's even two cases in front of the Supreme Court. If it happens, it'll likely only be forgiveness on part of the borrowed debt. So if it does happen, see it as a gift. My thoughts? If you're going to run up college debt, pick a career that'll foot the bill.

The HEA Group released a study last week on "Which College Majors Pay the Most?" Looking at these College Majors, I'm seeing that many are very relevant to students in Florida. And since many of you grew up on our near the water, you may already have a bit of a head start in one of these fields. This data is for bachelor's degree programs.  The data reflect a national average four years after students have completed their postsecondary studies.

Operation research analysts are top-level problem-solvers who use data mining, mathematical modeling, optimization, statistical analysis, and other advanced techniques to develop solutions that help businesses and organizations operate more cost-effectively and efficiently. If you love puzzles, math, and dominate tests - this may be for you.

Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and operation of marine vessels and structures. Do you know enough about boats that you could design one? 

Computer Science is the study of computers and computational systems. Unlike electrical and computer engineers, computer scientists deal mostly with software and software systems; this includes their theory, design, development, and application. My concern here would be AI advancing to the point of making this job less in demand before you graduate.

A major in Marine Transportation will give you the technical knowledge and skill to work directly with ocean vessels. 

A bachelor's in computer engineering qualifies graduates for careers in consumer electronics, bioengineering, and gaming hardware development. So maybe in 4 years you can join in on the development of GTA VI since it probably still won't be done. Or maybe stay local?

Look into the program at UF if this interests you.

A petroleum engineering degree is a program that prepares students for careers relating to the exploration, extraction and production of oil and natural gas. 

The multidisciplinary field of systems engineering applies engineering techniques and mathematical methods to improve the planning and decision making in organizational systems composed of people, machines, materials, and procedures. 

Pharmaceutical sciences majors apply chemistry, biology, and related sciences to the study of drugs. Like on that show "Breaking Bad", but with legal stuff.

A bachelor's electrical engineering degree equips students to design and build various electrical systems and devices. Lots and lots of math.