Meet Durham student Frank Dumas who will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Bethesda Elementary School in Durham introduced its fourth grade student who qualified to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Frank Dumas is that student, and Thursday afternoon he stood in front of television cameras and his classmates to talk about his preparations for the upcoming spelling bee.

"I'm going to be nervous, but I'm also going to be pretty excited," Dumas said.

He won a trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the spelling bee after winning the Duke Regional Spelling Bee.

Frank's mother challenged him and his twin sister to take their education a step further after she saw them studying Spanish and French words in Duolingo. The siblings were using the language app to uncover new words and learn about their spellings and etymology.

Mom said she was a good speller in school and that's why she pushed her children to commit themselves to the spelling bee. She also credited Frank's teachers for their support.

"Community and parental involvement is crucial to the education process," she said during Thursday's press conference.

The success is no surprised to Frank's fourth grade teacher Nicole Thompson.

"Frank is extremely hard-working, always putting 100 percent into his work. He really is a team player. He wants everyone to do well together," she said.

"He doesn't like to mess up so he will put in a lot of effort to study and come up with strategies that help him reach his goals. He's always seeking to find out how he can overcome any challenges that he faces so he can be successful," Frank's mother said.