AUSTIN, Texas -- A local middle school student is heading to Washington D.C. next month from the first-ever Austin Regional Spelling Bee.

"Knowing where the words came from and how to piece words together requires a lot of thinking and it's fun," said 12-year-old Pranathi Jammula.

Jammula has won a variety of different competitions since being inspired after watching her first spelling bee in 2012.

"Knowing where the words came from and how to piece words together requires a lot of thinking and it's fun," she said.

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This year, Jammula felt the pressure. She's in seventh-grade, which means this is the second to last year she can qualify to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., something she's dreamed about for years.

"This year I worked extra hard because I wanted to win really bad. Me and my mom for at least two weeks straight, we would just sit down and quiz for a few hours a day without getting up," said Jammula.

She took the win in the twelfth-round going head-to-head with another student, finally winning with the word "coriaceous." Jammula's mom is making a plan to help her daughter get ready for the competition. 

"I'm preparing all the lists based on where she is weak and where she is strong," said Prasanna Chennupati.

Jammula will travel to Washington D.C. for the National Spelling Bee from May 27 through June 1.