Cupertino sixth-grader to compete in National Geographic Bee
CUPERTINO, Calif. (KGO) -- A Bay Area sixth-grader is heading to Washington, D.C. to represent California at the 27th annual National Geographic Bee next week.
Cupertino's Madhavan Krishnan will be competing against 53 other contestants, ages 10 to 14, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, schools associated with the Department of Defense, as well as the U.S. territories.
Madhavan earned his spot by winning the state geography bee on his third try back in March.
The 11-year-old student at Sam H. Lawson Middle School is a little worried about having to compete with some of the older kids but he's been putting in extra study sessions, hoping to make up some ground.
"Take breaks between studying and try to calm down so that I can prepare myself for the actual bee, where I need to stay cool," Madhavan said.
"It's very, very fun. It's exciting. It is also kind of nerve-wracking, a little bit. That isn't fun, I think," Krishnan Srinivasan, Madhavan's father, said.
Madhavan has been at this since he was a toddler.
This video, which has more than 1 million hits on YouTube, shows him naming all fifty state capitals at the age of three.
VIDEO: Preschool kid recites all state capitals of USA
His parents said that he showed an interest in geography while they were shopping at a Walmart store. Of all things, he locked his eyes on a globe that was for sale and the rest is history.
This year's National Geographic Bee is sponsored by Google.
The national champion receives a $50,000 college scholarship.
