Quentin Bauer is a 7th grader at Millard Central Middle School. He recently won a state competition and will head to Washington, D.C. in late May to compete in the National Geographic Bee.
He is one of 54 contestants representing each state and four U.S. territories.
While the competition involves being able to pinpoint places on a map, it goes beyond that. When looking at countries, Bauer says he studies the culture as well. "What their currency or language or religion is and sometimes they ask about a certain region in the country or about a city."
I asked him places he found most interesting, and then asked him to tell me about those places. Here's what he said, on the spot, about Chile, "it's capital is Santiago and the entirety of its eastern border is the Andes Mountains and the northern border is the Atacama Desert."
He knew this about Morocco, "it's bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic ocean next to the Strait of Gibraltar. Its largest city is Casablanca and it's capital is Rabat, and it's highest peak is Jbel Toubkal."
The winner of the national competition, which starts on May 20th, receives a $50,000 college scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands and more.
Bauer is just focusing on studying, and the amazing opportunity ahead of him. "I'm really excited because I get to go to D.C., and I've always wanted to go there."
