A Wake County student has earned a spot in Thursday’s nationally televised finals of the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Kushi Gottimukkala, 13, a seventh-grade student at Carnage Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, was among nine spellers who qualified for the finals after Wednesday’s grueling quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Three other North Carolinians also made it to the semifinals and tied for 10th place, narrowly missing a chance to be in Thursday night’s prime-time finals.
The finals will be televised live at 8 p.m. on Ion television and streamed online at spellingbee.com…