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Meet our contestants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee: Sofia

Sofia's mother and aunt both qualified for the National Bee in the late 1980s
Get to know Boulder's top speller, Sofia Tommey Wu
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BOULDER, Colo. — Sometimes, tradition is more important to the children than their parents.

Sofia Tommey Wu, who qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee by winning the Boulder Valley School District's competition, chose to follow in her mother's footsteps, even when that was not her mother's wish.

"I want her to set her own goals... and just go be a kid," Rita Wu, who won Arizona's state Bee in 1989, said. "She did what she wanted to do."

However once her 10-year-old daughter expressed interest, she and her husband Brannon made sure her dreams came true. After all, Rita knows what it takes.

In the above story, you can hear more about their story, and see how Sofia plans to honor her mother and aunt while on stage at the bee.