Colorado whiz kids compete in national spelling bee

• Sofia Tommey Wu, 10, a fifth-grader at Douglass Elementary School in Boulder, competed in her first school spelling bee at age 7. She recently won Boulder's bee by correctly spelling "dissonance."

What they're saying: Aditi, an avid reader, has been preparing for the big day by "studying, eating, sleeping and repeating," she told the Post.

• Sofia, who's a younger contender due to skipping the second grade, remains shocked she made it to the nationals. "I sort of still don’t really believe that I’m going, but I’m really excited because it sounds fun. I am really, really nervous, though," Sofia said.

Fun facts about Aditi: She loves to write mystery and fantasy stories in her free time, as well as ride her bike, perform Indian classical dance and play the flute.

• When she grows up, Aditi hopes to become a geneticist to develop vaccines for hard-to-cure diseases.

Fun facts about Sofia: Her favorite hobbies include swimming and gymnastics. She's also learning to play instruments like the trombone and piano.

• As a voracious reader, she looks up to authors Rick Riordan, Tui Sutherland and Shannon Messenger and hopes to become an author, too, one day.

What's next: Our Colorado contestants will compete against 229 other spellers in hopes of advancing to the finals June 1.