Two Walter Woodward Elementary eighth graders, as well as their third out-of-district teammate, have qualified for the World Scholar’s Cup Global Round in Gold Coast, Australia. The World Scholar’s Cup is an international academic competition with an emphasis on enrichment, inclusivity, and community-building.
Miles Lima is the driving force behind the team. He learned about The World Scholar’s Cup from an acquaintance in New Zealand a month and a half before the regional qualifier in San Jose. He rounded out the team with long-time friend and fellow Mustang Colin Nguyen and Emerson Archuleta, a Bay Area friend he recently met at a student scholar event.
When asked how they prepared for the April competition, Nguyen hedges, “We had done a bit of studying.” But Lima is direct, “We were completely and absolutely underprepared.”
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the team met all together for the first time just six days before the qualifier. It is recommended that teams begin studying eight weeks prior. “We realized that we were going to have to try incredibly, incredibly, incredibly hard to qualify,” Lima continued.
They buckled down with the provided study materials to prepare for the four competition elements: the Scholar’s Bowl (a race-against-the clock- group quiz), Collaborative Writing, the Scholar’s Challenge (a unique multiple-choice test), and the Team Debate.
To their “utter stupefaction,” they qualified for the Global Round. Gold Coast, Australia was their choice from seven total Global Round options. It’s the final Global Round of the season, taking place in later September. They wanted the extra time to both study and fundraise, but also for another practical reason. “This will be my first time going to a country outside the United States,” said Nguyen. “Getting a passport is a very long and bureaucratic process.”
In addition to testing their intellect against students from around the world, Lima and Archuleta, who are blind and low-vision respectively, want to inspire others with vision impairments and other disabilities. “I want them to pursue their dreams like we’re doing now,” said Lima in a video they created about their team.
- Woodward