The Team
Who We Are
Himanvi Kopuri
Founder and Executive Director
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Hi all! I'm Himanvi and I was a speller from 2010-2013. I was the Colorado State Spelling Bee champion and went to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2013! After I was done spelling myself, I started coaching -- it has been 10 years since! I graduated in 2022 from the University of Pennsylvania where I studied Finance and Operations.
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My favorite word: flibbertigibbet
Angelina Holm
Director of Outreach
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Hi! My name is Angelina and I was a speller from 2015 to 2020. I won the Colorado State Spelling Bee in 2018 and 2019 and went to the Scripps National Spelling Bee both years. I coached individual spellers and schools for a few years after I finished spelling. I am currently a senior at Littleton High School.
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My favorite word: Zaporizhzhia
Zachary Long
Director of Technology
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Hello! My name is Zach and I was a speller from 2014 to 2019 and went to the National Spelling Bee in 2019. After that, I coached for a few years and now am a Freshman at Northwestern University studying Mathematics with a minor in Spanish.
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My favorite word: intussusception
Faith Baca
Director of Information
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Hey there! My name is Faith, and I was a speller from 2013-2017. I was the Colorado State Spelling Bee champ and went to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2017, and I continued to help with the DPS Semantics program while I was in high school. Currently, I’m a junior studying linguistics and math with computer science at MIT.
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My favorite word: nepantla
Bryn Flanigan
Director of Communications
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Hi! I’m Bryn and I was a speller in Denver Public Schools from 2011 to 2016. In the years following, I coached younger spellers in the district. I am currently a senior at Wellesley College, studying Comparative Literature and Italian.
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My favorite word: nebuchadnezzar
Ben Holland
Director of Mentorship
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Hi all! I'm Ben Holland, a senior at George Washington High School in Denver. I spelled from 2014-2019 and placed second at the Colorado State Spelling Bee in 2018 and 2019.​
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My favorite word: defenestration
Sam Holland
Director of Mentorship
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My favorite word: --
Jacob Neumann
Web Developer
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Hello! I'm Jacob. I was a speller for Southmoor and Morey from 2008 – 2011, and helped Bill Schaefer run the Summer Semantics program from 2011 to 2019. I'm currently a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Nottingham.​
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My favorite words: zeitgeist, heterological, numinous
