The Scripps National Spelling Bee is just a few weeks away. One Kern County 7th grader is preparing for the big competition.

Briandria Starks is this year's winner of the Kern County Spelling Bee. She will be flying out to Washington D.C. at the end of May.

She is homeschooled through Valley Oaks Charter School in Central Bakersfield.

Briandria took an interest in spelling at a young age, thanks to her mom, Tiffany. Tiffany was speller herself when she was a kid. She enjoyed reading and writing just like Briandria.

Briandria says her family has been helping her study for the bee. She's been studying non-stop learning the definitions and spelling of more than 400 words.

The Kern County student has been competing in spelling bees since third grade but it wasn't always easy.

 She came up short in each bee she competed in, until now. After getting a pep talk from her parents last year after she lost the spelling bee in sixth grade, she decided to come back this year and do it for fun.

This year she won the spelling and credits family for pushing her.

Now, she is spellbound for our nation’s capital to compete on the national stage and put Kern County on the map.