Entertainment Zaila Avant-garde: Teenager makes history at US spelling bee By Qatarday - July 9, 2021 0 351 Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Zaila Avant-garde, 14, became the first African American to win the 90-year-old Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday by correctly spelling ‘Murraya,’ a genus of plants, staying cool after a near-miss with a botanical word in a previous round.