AdvertisementWhy Indian-Americans Reign As Spelling Bee ChampsMay 29, 2012Tovia SmithfacebookEmailArvind Mahankali, 12, finished third and ninth in the National Spelling Bee in the past two years, and has been stepping up his training, in hopes of finishing first this year. He's even trained his little brother, 8-year-old Srinath, to read phonetics so he can help with the drills. (NPR)