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Indian-American kids shone yet again at the nation’s National Geography Bee competition May 25, in Washington, D.C., walking away with the three top prizes.
Rishi Nair, a 12-year-old from Florida, became this year’s champion, in a competition that began with half a million students from 11,000 schools, narrowing down to the three Indian-American winners. Saketh Jonnalagadda from Massachusetts secured second place, and Kapil Nathan, a sixth-grader from Alabama took third place.
Much ink has been spilled on why kids of Indian origin do so well at competitions like the Geography Bee and the Spelling Bee, with no conclusive answer except that they are propelled by the very American spirit of competition, and by dint of hard work. The youngest finalist for the Spelling Bee for instance is 6-year old wunderkind Akash Vukoti.
Nair’s correct answer (Lake Kivu) that catapulted him to the top was to the question – Which East African lake that drains into the Ruzizi River contains large quantities of dissolved methane gas that could generate electricity for millions of people?
Nair leapt into the air arms up high enjoying his victory in a competition that is open to grades four through eight. In this 28th Geography Bee, the finalists ranged in age from 10 to 14 years old. He walks away with a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership to the National Geographic Society, and an all-expenses-paid trip for two to southeast Alaska, different from most of the previous winners who got to go to Galapagos Islands.
Nair also won the prizes his parents lined up for him – an iPhone, a trip to Switzerland, and a golden retriever. “I’d like to thank my mom for [helping me prepare] and for everything she’s done since I was born,” Nair is quoted saying in story posed on the National Geographic website. “I love you, mom,” he said, before biting his medal, the report said.
Fourteen-year-old Jonnalagadda won a $25,000 scholarship. and Nathan got a $10,000 scholarship prize.
Last year’s two top winners were also Indian-American, champion Karan Menon, 14, or New Jersey, and 11-year -old Shriya Yarlagadda of Michigan.
According to a recent survey, 3 out of 4 8th graders in this country lack basic proficiency in Geography, a shortcoming the competitors in this contest obviously did not suffer from.
The post Indian-Americans Win Top Three Spots In National Geography Bee Championship appeared first on News India Times.
