Zaila resides in Harvey, La., with her parents, Alma Heard and Jawara Spacetime. And it was apparently her dad who got the idea from watching the Scripps bee on TV that his daughter could one day be a great candidate.

According to Irish Times, while many Scripps participants start at a very young age, Zaila's dad realized only a few years ago that his daughter's abilities in solving complicated math problems could potentially translate well into spelling.

Zaila's skills got her to the nationals back in 2019, but she bowed out in the preliminary rounds. Zaila eventually began working with a private coach.