Mineola, NY— On June 26th, Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip honored 11-year-old Great Neck North Middle School student Brian Liu for his achievements at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Brian qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in March after he defeated 47 other students at the Long Island finals. Those finals went on for four hours, and finally ended after Brian correctly spelt the word Bolognese. He then proceeded to the National level, where he made it through six different rounds to the semifinals, where he was knocked out. In the Scripps National Spelling Bee, contestants not only need to be able to spell the word correctly, but also recite its definition.
“I am so very proud of Brian for his achievement,” Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip said. “He put himself out there against so many other contestants and stayed calm and strong. The fact that he accomplished that at the age of 11 is also such a wonderful achievement. Brian dedicated his time to training for the spelling bee, while also keeping up with his rigorous schoolwork and his violin studies. Congratulations Brian, you have made Great Neck, and all of Long Island proud!”
On top of being a spelling bee quarterfinalist and an excellent student, Brian Liu is also an accomplished violinist and has performed at Lincoln Center.