TAMPA, Fla. — The Largo teen who won this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee returned to Tampa Bay Tuesday evening, where he was greeted by about 20 friends and teachers at the airport.

"It feels good, and I'm glad to be back," said Dev Shah, 14, a student at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School.

Shah won by correctly spelling the word "psammophile", which Merriam-Webster defines as an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas.

What You Need To Know

  • Scripps National Spelling Bee Winner Dev Shah returned to Tampa Bay Tuesday evening

  • Shah and his family were greeted by friends and teachers

  • The celebration follows days of interviews and appearances

  • Shah said he's glad to be home and looking forward to seeing friends and getting some rest

"When I heard the word, it was like a feeling of relief because I was really stressed before then," said Shah. "But I studied the word before, and I was really confident I knew it."

"What a wonderful thing for a Florida, Largo boy to spell a word which means love of sand, and he's here in Florida," said Prathiba Desai, a longtime family friend.

Desai was among those who showed up to the airport hours early to set up a congratulatory banner and balloons to greet Shah.

"Dev, I knew him even, I would say, before he was born and saw him growing up all these years," said Desai. "A very shy kid, but he's very determined."

While Desai said Shah is always focused when competing in math or spelling competitions, she told Spectrum News he seemed even more so this time around.

"Even before the judge had a chance to ask some of the questions, we knew he nailed it. So, it was a joy to watch him," she said.

Third grade teacher Shari Dirks also came out to greet Shah.

"I remember the very first day I met him — just so smart and energetic," Dirks said. "Just a great kid — one of my favorites of all time."

Dirks said she could tell when Shah was given his last word that he was going to win it all.

"I was crying super happy, ugly tears, because I was like, 'Oh, my God — he's top four. Oh, my God — he's top two. He's gonna win it,'" she said.

That win was the result of years of work and studying, and Shah said it meant a lot to be welcomed home by so many of the people who supported him along the way. He said he's looking forward to seeing his friends, but he said the first thing he planned to do when he got home was sleep.

"Because I haven't gotten much of it lately," he said.

"We're going to eat first before we sleep," said Dev's mother, Dr. Nilam Shah. She said friends cooked okra curry for the family — one of Dev Shah's favorites. "We are looking forward to good food because we haven't had food for ten days."

Dev Shah also said he'd like to see more students from around the state get involved in the spelling bee.