National Spelling Bee champion Charles Hamilton Jr., went into the Scripps National Spelling Bee Competition expecting to win, but while disappointed with his performance in not qualifying past the semifinals of the Washington, D.C. competition, he did find a silver lining to the outcome.

"I was a bit discouraged but I remembered that I was going up against people who have been participating five years in a row and have been preparing with the dictionary for five years," said the 12-year-old St. Anne's School student.

"I realized that my two months of preparation would shine in comparison to their five years of hard work," he said upon his return.

At the second round of the competition Charles correctly spelt and defined the words, "umlaut" and "symbiosis" respectively. However, in the third round he spelt the word "wensleydale" correctly but did not correctly define the word "desuetude." Charles answered that the word "desuetude" means emotionally conflicted. The correct meaning of the word is "apparently abandoned". His overall scores did not qualify him to move into the semi-finals.

Charles said he had been nervous and that being on the international stage and competing with people from all over the world was nothing like competing at the national championship.

The son of Charles Sr. and Beverly Hamilton, the senior mistress at St. Anne's Primary School, said that if he had the opportunity to do it all over again he would do seasonal preparation, and begin preparing all year round. Hamilton was pleased with her son's accomplishment.

"I was extremely proud because Charles worked so hard to get where he was and I was just overjoyed," she said. "It was just a good, good feeling to know he was among 284 of the best (spellers) in the world."

The parents of the 12-year-old often encourage him by telling him there is nothing that he can't do. His mother described how she tries to inspire him daily.

"Everyday before he gets out of the car we have a little pep talk and I say to him, you are the number one in class, don't let anyone tell you different. You don't need any affirmation. You go in there and always give it 110 percent and that is exactly what he does."

The young speller, who has a speech impediment, initially did not want to compete in The Bahamas National Spelling Bee. His mother said Charles was afraid that people would laugh at him because of his stutter. However, after encouragement from his mother, Charles went on to compete and win the national title to earn the right to represent the country in Washington. Hamilton said she told her son that he would never know what he would accomplish if he allowed his impediment to hinder him. She told him that he was an excellent speller and an intelligent child and that if he did not take the opportunity, he would blame himself.

The senior mistress and mother said she believes that her son's speech impediment will help him more than hurt him because it's what gives him an extra push. She said she knows that it does get to him at times but he can usually put it on the back burner in order to get done, whatever he has to do.

Charles said that although he may sometimes be discouraged with his speech impediment, because he loves to speak and he has always wanted to be a narrator, his impediment has never held him back. He recalled his fear of stammering on stage during nationals.

"It is a great thing that I didn't let that get the better of me because I wouldn't have experienced what I have," he said.

His attributes his inspiration for success to his parents and his grandmother who he said always encourage him to do what he feels is right, to always follow his instincts, to prepare and to be second to none.

Although he found it hard to narrow down his role models Charles said that he admires Albert Einstein because of the famous scientist's unorthodox approach to his theories, his swift rise to fame from being an outcast and the way his fame has lasted over time.

Despite his hard work in school and preparation for both the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) and the spelling competition Charles is still a normal child. His mother said he is very technical and often tries to make gadgets and fix phones. Charles wants to become a medical researcher.

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