Commentary By any standard, Zaila Avant-garde is a remarkable 14-year-old girl with a positive and compelling outlook on life. Avant-garde (her father reportedly changed her surname from Heard in honor of jazz legend John Coltrane) recently won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, the first African American to win the highly competitive spelling contest. She told reporters afterward that she studied 13,000 words a day. A DAY! There are many lessons that should be learned from her remarkable achievement. Here are two of them: Former President Barack Obama tweeted: “Three Guinness World Records (related to her prowess at basketball dribbling) and now the national spelling bee champ! Congrats, Zaila—your hard work is paying off. We’re all proud of you.” First lady Jill Biden met with some of the contestants before the final round, telling them she admired their bravery and confidence. Hard work, bravery, and confidence. Are these not among the keys to …