The Scripps National Spelling Bee has begun but in all its years only one champion has hailed from the Badger State.
Dr. Joanne Lagatta, the 1991 winner recalls the moment, “I just remember being tired, excited, relieved, overwhelmed.”
Back then she was an admittedly awkward 13-year-old girl from Clintonville who managed to spell the word “Antipyretic.”
That’s a fever-reducing medicine, which is ironic since Lagatta ended up becoming a doctor.
Her career choice was nothing more than a happy coincidence, but she admits what she learned from competing helped her achieve each goal in life.
“I learned a lot about confidence, about working hard, about taking years to study for a subject, about knowing sometimes you won’t be the one that wins, and that’s OK,” she said.
Lagatta is now a neonatologist and researcher at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. These days she can't help but wonder if someday one of her tiny patients will also appear on stage as our state's top speller.
“I love being able to think about my job being both medical care and encouraging them. That these are kids that are going to get out there and do good things,” she said proudly.
