Gabe Straus is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Collegiate School for Boys, New York. He writes a column in the school newspaper titled “Geography Matters” and runs a geography club for 5th and 6th graders. He plays the double bass and played at Carnegie Hall with the school orchestra. He …

Nick Vazeen is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Challenger School – Summerlin Campus, Las Vegas. He loves playing and watching soccer; he hopes to become a professional soccer player. He’d like to visit Manchester, home of his favorite team, Manchester United. He has loved geography since getting a U.S. puzzle …

Amrit Singh is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Grangeville Elementary/Middle School in Grangeville, north central Idaho. In his free time he runs track and plays basketball and baseball. His team was the All-Star Tournament champions. The best place he’s visited is India, where he has family. He’d like to go …

Andy Anderton is a 12-year-old 8th grader at Island School, Lihue, on the island of Kaua’i. He represented Hawaii at the 2011 National Geographic Bee. He takes part in the National Piano Guild and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and geocaching. He’d like to visit Russia, as he speaks Russian …

Tuvya Bergson-Michelson is a 12-year- old 6th grader at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, near San Francisco. He represented California at the 2011 National Geographic Bee. His interests include government, international affairs, politics and baseball statistics. He enjoys cross-country running. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the …

Lars Nordquist is a 10-year-old 5th grader at St. Albans School. He enjoys reading and looking at maps. The best place he’s visited is Venice, Italy, and he’d like to go to Australia. His interest in geography was stimulated by his 4th-grade teacher, who made the class memorize capitals and …

Jonathon Grunenwald is a 14-year-old 8th grader from Ames, representing Ames Home School Assistance Program. Two of his model rockets won purple ribbons at the county fair. Interests include puppetry, drawing, camping, hiking and canoeing. He’d like to visit all the U.S. national parks. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: …

Christian Boekhout is a 12-year-old 7th grader at Hot Springs Intermediate School in Hot Springs, southwest of Little Rock. He represented Arkansas at the 2011 and 2012 National Geographic Bees. He plays first chair alto saxophone and has participated in the Junior Engineering Olympics for two years. He hopes to …

Kevin Orzada is a 14-year-old 8th grader at The Independence School in Newark, near Wilmington. This year, his Odyssey of the Mind team has advanced to the world finals in May, and his Quiz Bowl team won a spot in the national competition in April. In his free time he …

Leo Díaz is a 12-year-old 7th grader at St John’s School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has been on his school’s honor roll every quarter since first grade. He enjoys playing basketball and air hockey and watching NBA games. The best place he’s been is Sequoia National Park; he …