WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Past Spelling Bee Champions

Reuters/Rich Wilkin

You obviously have to be pretty bright and extremely dedicated to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

But does that lead to future success?

For the most part, yes. Among the winners, there are lots ofgraduates of top schools, and plenty of successes.  

Unsurprisingly, many of them go into brainy professions, becoming doctors and lawyers. But there are some pretty unusual choices too, from a Web entrepreneur, to a voice-over actor, and a professional poker player. 

One became a prominent journalist and was part of a newspaper team that won a Pulitzer prize.