Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Bee winner interested in ocean

link LILLIAN BOWE: Portales News-Tribune

Riley Lujan receives the first place plaque and $500 scholarship from Eastern New Mexico University from bee director Carol Erwin on Friday as part of winning the Roosevelt County spelling bee. Lujan will be going to the New Mexico State spelling bee March 22.

PNT staff writer

[email protected]

As the winner of last week’s Roosevelt County spelling bee, Riley Lujan won a plaque, a $500 scholarship to Eastern New Mexico University and a trip to Albuquerque in March for the state-level spelling bee.

Lujan, sixth-grader from Lindsey-Steiner Elementary, won the junior division of the spelling bee as a fourth-grader.

He has two younger sisters and an older sister. He loves to play basketball and when he grows up he wants to be a scuba diver.

What is your favorite subject?

I really like math. It just comes easy to me. I also love spelling because a lot of my classmates come to me with help and I like to help them.

Is there any word you stumbled on when you practiced for the bee?

Elegiac has always stumbled me and tycoon was a word I did not study for, so I guessed it.

What do you plan to do when you are at Albuquerque?

My uncle lives there and I will get to see him. We might have our vacation while we are there. Hopefully, I get to go with my cousins to the aquarium and zoo. I really want to see an octopus at the aquarium. It is my favorite animal. I have never seen an octopus in real life and I hope to see one in Albuquerque.

Why do you want to be a scuba diver?

I think the ocean is really beautiful and all the creatures in the ocean are really interesting. I just want to explore the ocean.

What is your favorite basketball team?

The Chicago Bulls. The team I play for is the Bulls, so that is one of the reasons I like them.