The 7th-grade student from Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School in Corona-Norco Unified School District will represent Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.
Victoria Li Repeats as Riverside County Spelling Bee Champion
RIVERSIDE – Twenty-eight highly prepared Riverside County spellers between 4th and 8th grades competed in the 48th edition of the Riverside County Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Held at the Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center, the event continued for 15 rounds until Victora Li correctly spelled “potamic” in the 15th round, and then accurately spelled “ejecta” as the winning word in the 16th round—a word defined as “material thrown out (as from a volcano)”.
Victoria will represent Riverside County once again at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland from May 26 to May 28, 2026, at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. In 2025, Victoria was named the Riverside County Spelling Bee Champion after 23 rounds of competition. At the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, she advanced to the quarterfinals and finished in a tie for 58th place.
This year’s participants prepared by studying 4,000 words before the county spelling bee. Their true mastery, however, was evident after round 8, when students advanced to words beyond the official study list. Following the event, Victoria shared that she studies for hours each day and plans to add additional study time in preparation for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
“Each student who competed in this year’s Riverside County Spelling Bee should be incredibly proud of their achievement,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez. “The discipline and skill under pressure they demonstrated throughout this process will serve them well on their academic and professional journeys. We wish Victoria the very best as she represents Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.”
Jacob Schliekelman, a 6th-grade student from Ruth Brown Elementary School in the Palo Verde Unified School District, earned second place. Finishing in a tie for third, were Aaliyah Alexander, a 7th-grade student from Granite Hills TK-8 School in Romoland School District, and Ezio Camerino, an 8th-grade student from San Gorgonio Middle School in Beaumont Unified School District.