A Harry Potter fan from Derby showed off a magic spell of a different kind when she travelled to the University of Cambridge for a national Spanish language competition.
Hibbah Tahir, 12, who described the experience as like visiting Hogwarts, finished third in her age category for her Spanish skills when she competed in the finals of the National Foreign Language Spelling Bee.
Hibbah, who is a Year Seven student at the Bemrose School, had beaten off competition from more than 70,000 youngsters across the UK to take her place among 95 other hopefuls at the event.
Her challenge had begun at school back in December when she and her classmates were asked to translate and spell 50 words in either French or Spanish in the first round of the competition.
Hibbah then advanced to a school-level competition, where she tackled 150 Spanish words, before she was invited to the University of Nottingham for another round, this time consisting of 200 words.
After triumphing once again, Hibbah was invited to the national finals, where she faced Year Seven students from across the country and tasked with translating and spelling 300 Spanish words.
They included el equipo and miércoles and, although she missed out on the top spot, she was pronounced third in the Year Seven category for Spanish and presented with her prize -12 language lessons with the Spanish Institute of Learning.
Hibbah used flashcards and attended extra study lessons at school to prepare for the finals, but says the experience of seeing inside Cambridge University was the highlight of her day.
She said: “As a huge Harry Potter fan, being at Cambridge University felt like being at Hogwarts, and my favourite part of the event was exploring both of the universities,
“I hope to train as a doctor there after I finish school.
“I ‘m proud of myself. During the competition I stayed focused and motivated and I concentrated on becoming the winner.”
Mireia Alonso and Viviane Ahui the modern foreign languages teachers at the school, who accompanied Hibbah to all the events, said: “We are extremely proud of Hibbah. She worked exceptionally hard, and her results reflect that dedication.
“She was the only student to attend every session outside of school hours, including during breaks and after school.
“Her commitment and efforts are truly admirable.”
This press release was distributed by Penguin PR. To find out more contact Sarah-Louise Elton on 01332 416228 or by email at sarahlouise@penguinpr.co.uk
