Timemagazine ran a "where are they now" article about former national spelling bee champs who all grew up to be solid citizens.
The piece made me think of Rebecca Sealfon of New York, the first homeschooler to win the bee in 1997.
By now, Rebecca has been Youtubed yelling the spelling of "euonym," the winning word. After her victory, she was lampooned by the South Park writers and joined a vegetarian co-op.
Wikipedia reports that she's presently a grad student, in the sciences, at Duke University.
Her MO for the spelling competition: "When she was 12, Sealfon said she studied five days a week for three to four hours a day. There are words that are continually reused in the National Spelling Bee, and she began by studying this list of words. This activity, along with a regimen of studying Latin and Greek roots and learning Latin, helped her to win the regional finals."
Time 