On June 18, 2013 at the New York State Assembly Chamber in Albany, Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein (D-Bayside) presented a New York State Assembly resolution that he introduced, to his constituent, Arvind Mahankali, a Bayside Hills resident and student from Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74. Arvind was crowned the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion on Thursday, May 30, 2013. After 16 rounds of competition, Arvind won by correctly spelling the word “knaidel”, which is a German-Yiddish word that means matzo dumpling. This is Arvind’s fourth consecutive trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He finished ninth in 2010 and in third place in both 2011 and 2012.

"I am very proud that Arvind Mahankali, the 2013 National Spelling Bee Champion, and his wonderful parents Srinivas and Bhavani, as well as his younger brother, Srinath, are residents of my district," said Assemblyman Braunstein. "It was a pleasure to present Arvind with this resolution honoring his accomplishments."