Vishal Sareddy is third place winner at National Geographic Bee
(Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)
Vishal Sareddy of Suwanee, Georgia, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Riverwatch Middle School, won third place at the 2018 National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 23, 2018. After outlasting all but two of the top 10 finalists, which included eight Indian-Americans, he won a $10,000 college scholarship.
Venkat Rajan, who won top honors, is from California, while Anoushka Buddhikot, the runner-up, is from New Jersey.
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The top ten are (top row, left to right), Jonathan Song of North Carolina, Saket Pochiraju of Ohio, Sean Cheng of New Hampshire, Nihar Janga of Texas, and Ashwin Sivakumar of Oregon, (bottom row, left to right) Vishal Sareddy of Georgia, Gayatri Kaimal of Arizona, Anoushka Buddhikot of New Jersey, Atreya Mallanna of Massachusetts, and Venkat Ranjan of California. |
The final contest, moderated by humorist, actor, and journalist Mo Rocca, was broadcast on national TV and can now be viewed on YouTube.
Vishal was the Georgia Geographic Bee champion in both 2017 and 2018. About 2.6 million students in grades four to six participated in over 10,000 schools around the nation. The 54 finalists, representing every state and overseas territory, was narrowed down to 10 for the televised program.
Everyone can test their geography knowledge with the exciting Geo Bee Quiz, an online geography quiz at www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/study/quiz, which poses 10 new questions a day.
“I’m Vishal Sareddy. I am currently a 14-year-old 8th grader attending Riverwatch Middle School. My hobbies include playing the violin, theater, basketball, cross-country running, and traveling. My favorite place I’ve currently traveled to is Hawaii. I loved going there because there were many different landscapes on the different islands and their Polynesian-esque culture is one that can’t be seen anywhere else.
I started competing in the National Geographic Bee because I’ve always had an interest and passion for geography ever since I was in Kindergarten. The experience I’ve had in competing in the bee is unlike any other. I met many new friends with similar interests, especially in the national level, who I still keep in touch.
Getting 3rd place in the national level of the bee made me extremely happy because I finally felt that all of my hard work and many hours of studying over 7-8 years has paid off. I also felt that I’ve made many people proud who’ve helped me along my journey. These people include my dad, who personally helped coach me; my mom, who sparked my interest in geography and was my main driving force; my sister, who is a big supporter of me; and my friends and teachers, who always cheered for me endlessly. Getting 3rd in the National Geographic Bee will always be one of the greatest memories in my life.”
2018 Bee:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/newsroom/10-students-qualify-for-2018-national-geographic-bee-championship-round-may-23/
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/newsroom/venkat-ranjan-of-california-wins-2018-national-geographic-bee-and-50000-college-scholarship
Vishal:
http://www.khabar.com/magazine/community-newsmakers/riverwatch-student-is-geography-bee-champ-again (2018)
http://www.khabar.com/magazine/community-newsmakers/vishal-and-vishaal-excel-at-georgia-geography-bee (2017)
http://www.khabar.com/magazine/community-newsmakers/jerome-perera-wins-national-geographic-state-bee-georgia (2016)
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