He’s no stranger to national competitions. But this time, Ansel Ahabue is hoping to put Georgia on the map.
"Georgia has not won a National Geographic Bee, but hopefully I'll be the first," the eighth grader told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from his Washington, D.C., hotel room.
And Ansel’s already on his way, correctly answering nine out of nine questions correctly Monday to make the top 10 and advance to Wednesday’s final. For one of the questions about the FIFA World Cup, Ansel correctly answered that Lyon is a city in France.
An avid reader, the Trickum Middle School student says he wants to be a politician and a doctor when he grows up. But he also loves history, playing the piano and drawing.
“I like the maps and learning about the different people and different cultures,” Ansel said late Monday.
Educational competitions aren’t new for Ansel. As a sixth grader, he was a member of his school’s national championship academic team. The winning team was recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives.
After he won Georgia’s National Geographic Bee this year, Ansel met Gov. Nathan Deal and received a congratulatory letter from him.
He will have a day off from competition before the final round, which will be moderated by broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien. O’Brien succeeds “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who moderated the Bee for its first 25 years, according to National Geographic. National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the final round at 7 p.m. Thursday.
So what’s up for grabs in the competition?
The student who is crowned National Geographic Bee champion wins a $50,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all-expenses-paid expedition for two to the Galápagos Islands aboard the Lindblad ship “National Geographic Endeavour.” The second-place finisher receives a $25,000 college scholarship, and the student who places third receives a college scholarship of $10,000.
Ansel and his mom said they aren’t nervous. After all, the 13-year-old is already a national champion.
“No pressure,” his mom, Blessing Abahue, told The AJC. “Do your best and God will help you from there.”
Ansel said he plans to spend today reading to prepare for the final.
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