This year marks the 25-year anniversary of Jamaica’s Jody-Anne Maxwell becoming the first non-American to win the coveted Scripps National Spelling Bee held in Washington DC. 

Immortalising herself in the annals of history, Maxwell, a student of Ardenne High, correctly spelt “chiaroscurist,” to cop the title as first black child to win, pocketing a cool US$10,000 grand prize and championship trophy.

The word, which is Italian in etomology, describes an artist who uses light and shade to produce the illusion of depth.

It was a moment that culminated a remarkable journey for Maxwell, who, under the guidance of the late Reverend Glen Archer, defeated 248 other contestants from United States, Guam, Mexico, US Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Europe and American Samoa.

Following in the footsteps of her sister Janice winning the National Spelling Bee tournament in Jamaica earlier that year, Maxwell and Archer trained intensely over a eight-month period in preparation for Scripps. 

Admitting that the first round was her hardest test, she held on to win after several nail-biting rounds; outdoing runners-up Prem Murthy Trivedi, a 12-year-old New Jersey native and 13-year-old Hirsh Sandesara from Illinois.

Speaking with CNN, a shy Maxwell explained that her faith was what got her through the competition.

“God gave me the words that I knew,” she said, conceding that at times she faced a challenge spelling certain words. 

Maxwell, who also told CNN of her dream to become a lawyer, made good on that promise, passing with honours as she completed her degree at the Norman Manley Law School in 2012.

Rocketing into a celebrity in her own right, Maxwell remains the only non-US winner of the Scripps Spelling Bee. The first non-mainlander was Hugh Tosteson, in 1975, who hailed from native Puerto Rico, a US-governed territory in the Caribbean.