Niles Elementary School fifth-grader Sahir Qureshi won the 2013 California State Elementary Spelling Bee on Saturday.
Qureshi and fellow Fremont student Anish Punaroor, a sixth-grader from Parkmont Elementary, represented Alameda County at the State Spelling Bee held in Stockton. Qureshi spelled every word correctly in the competition, which featured 60 top spellers from throughout California.
After 13 grueling rounds, Qureshi correctly spelled, “prosciutto” to take home the top prize.
Qureshi credits his spelling prowess to being an avid reader and all-around good student. He loves science and geography, is a Boy Scout, swims competitively, plays the piano, has a band called “Game Over” and is forming a robotics team.
In his spare time, he loves studying the dictionary with his mom. Qureshi was accompanied to the spelling bee by one of his parents, his grandmother, his brother and one of his teachers, Mrs. Johnson.






