Isle student third in
geography beeThe sixth-grader from Punahou
will receive a college scholarship
Competing with nine eighth-graders, Punahou sixth-grader Eric Liaw won third place in yesterday's finals of the 2004 National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C.
"I feel happy because I get a big check and a bit sad because I can't come back next year," Liaw said in a telephone interview shortly after the championship rounds.
Liaw, 12, represented Hawaii in the 2003 National Geographic Bee as well but his third-place win this year knocks him out of further competition.
Andrew Wojtanik, 14, of Kansas, won first place and Matthew Wells, 13, of Montana, won second place.
Liaw won a $10,000 scholarship from National Geographic that will go into a trust fund until he enters college, said Punahou social sciences teacher John Saporito, who coordinates the school's Geographic Bee.
"We're very excited. We're very proud of him. He's done a wonderful job," Seaport said. "He's third out of 5 million."
Five million students ages 10 to 15 competed in the Geographic Bee at the local level across the country. The 55 winners from each state and territory made it to the national competition in Washington.
Tuesday, Liaw answered every question correctly to make it to the final 10.
The Geographic Bee tests the students' knowledge of world politics, cultures, history and geography.
The Punahou student said he was told today's questions would be easier than those in the preliminaries "but it turns out they're still hard."
Unlike the Spelling Bee, contestants do not receive a prepared list of questions for the Geographic Bee.
Liaw said he likes geography because "it is related to everything. I like the way it interacts with everything."
He told National Geographic if he could be anyone else, he'd like to be oceanographer-explorer Robert Ballard.
Saporito said Liaw is an avid reader who is largely self-taught in geography. Punahou senior Glen Shigetomi, state winner of the Geographic Bee several years ago, also voluntarily tutored him this year, Saporito said.
"He's going to be really happy," Saporito said.
He said Liaw's classmates and the school will be waiting to greet him when he returns to classes Monday, and he will be presented with an award at the end of the school year.