Christian Gonzalez is a 14-year-old 8th grader from Huntsville, representing Huntsville Area Home Educators. His interests include computer programming, learning Japanese and reading about exotic lands. The best place he’s been to is Costa Rica, where he stood on the Continental Divide and climbed Arenal Volcano.

ALABAMA

Jonathan Harver is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Kodiak Middle School in Kodiak. He enjoys outdoor activities like fishing, hunting and shooting, and sports, especially wrestling, cross-country and swimming. Among those he admires is Thomas Jefferson for his devotion to academics and his discoveries.

ALASKA

Ari Mehta is a 12-year-old 6th grader at Desert Cove Elementary School in Phoenix. His interest in geography was stimulated by his dad, who taught him all the state capitals when he was 3. He likes playing basketball and tennis. The coolest place he’s visited is Italy, where he saw most of the major tourist attractions.

ARIZONA

Christian Boekhout is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Hot Springs Middle School in Hot Springs, southwest of Little Rock. He represented Arkansas at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 National Geographic Bees. He is first chair All Region alto saxophone and a Quiz Bowl team member. He admires Bill Clinton, who attended his school.

ARKANSAS

National Finalists:2014

National Geographic BeeMay 19-21

Washington, D.C.

Jael King is a 12-year-old 6th grader at Alfredo Andrews Elementary School in Kingshill, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. He won the Virgin Islands History Quiz Bowl. He enjoys reading and playing educational games. He hopes to have a farm and produce fruits and vegetables. The best place he has been to is Alaska.

ATLANTIC TERRITORIES

Tuvya Bergson-Michelson is a 13-year-old 7th grader at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, near San Francisco. He represented California at the 2011 and 2013 National Geographic Bees. He loves geography for the lens it provides on the world. He is vice president of his school’s student council.

CALIFORNIA

Pranit Nanda is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Aurora Quest K-8 School in Aurora, east of Denver. He represented Colorado at the 2012 and 2013 National Geographic Bees. He’s a four-time winner of the President’s Award for Academic Excellence. He plays the violin and enjoys reading almanacs and atlases.

COLORADO

John Phipps is a 12-year-old 6th grader at Middlesex Middle School in Darien, northeast of Stamford. He has been to 21 countries including China, where he met the farmer who discovered the first Terra Cotta Warrior. He enjoys looking at maps, studying geography and history, learning Russian and playing tennis.

CONNECTICUT

Sohan Shah is a 14-year-old 8th grader at The Independence School in Newark, near Wilmington. He’s captain of his Quiz Bowl team, and this year he placed second in the regional History Bowl. He has traveled to four continents and about 20 countries. He enjoys basketball, tennis, crew and swimming.

DELAWARE

Patrick Lewallen is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Ryukyu Middle School in Okinawa, Japan. He represented Department of Defense Dependents Schools at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He is a Life Scout and a member of the National Junior Honor Society. He enjoys playing soccer and baseball.

DEPT. OF DEFENSE

Quentin Powers is a 14-year-old 8th grader at St. Anselm’s Abbey School. He is a first class Boy Scout and has completed 15 merit badges toward Eagle Scout. He likes going to Washington Nationals and Washington Wizards games and watching college football on TV. He hopes to visit the South Pacific islands.

DIST. OF COLUMBIA

Ameya Mujumdar is an 11-year-old 5th grader at Turner Elementary School in Tampa. He plays chess and piano and enjoys video games, especially Minecraft. The best place he has been to is Agra, where he saw the Taj Mahal. He hopes to visit Antarctica, as he would like to be in the middle of penguins.

FLORIDA

ILLINOIS

Ansel Ahabue is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Trickum Middle School in Lilburn, near Atlanta. His Academic Team will be taking part in the National Academic Championship later this month. His interests include geography, social studies, piano and drawing. He’d like to visit his parents’ homeland, Nigeria.

GEORGIA

Mika Ishii is a 12-year-old 6th grader at Kaimuki Middle School in Honolulu. She represented Hawaii at the 2012 National Geographic Bee. She plays the violin in the Hawaii Youth Symphony and is concertmistress of her school orchestra. She also loves playing the ukulele. She admires her teachers.

HAWAII

Amrit Singh is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Grangeville Middle School in Grangeville, north central Idaho. He represented Idaho at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He likes playing basketball, weightlifting, running track and throwing shot put and discus. Among those he admires are his grandparents.

IDAHO

Mantra Dave is an 11-year-old 6th grader at Chiddix Junior High School in Normal, northeast of Springfield. He enjoys reading and playing tennis and cricket. If he could be anyone in the world, he’d be UN Secretary-General so he could make the world healthier and safer. He’d like to visit Potala Palace, Tibet.

Sean Ives is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Trinity Lutheran School in Crown Point, south of Gary. He represented Indiana at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He likes board games, reading, basketball and football. He became interested in geography when he received a globe in 1st grade. His dad is his role model.

INDIANA

Shirlin Kingston is an 11-year-old 5th grader from Ames, representing Ames Area Homeschool. She has won numerous trophies for chess tournaments, awards for math and science contests and badges for scripture memorization. She enjoys arts and crafts and playing the piano and violin. She’d love to visit Rome.

IOWA

Chinmay Patil is a 12-year-old 6th grader at California Trail Middle School in Olathe. He likes reading and playing baseball and computer games. He hopes to become a social studies teacher. He admires Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, because they showed one person can change the world.

KANSAS

Nikhil Krishna is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Corbin Middle School in Corbin, southeastern Kentucky. He represented the state at the 2012 National Geographic Bee. The coolest place he has visited is Antarctica, where he saw penguins, seals and glaciers. He enjoys playing tennis, reading and eating.

KENTUCKY

Benjamin Link is a 14-year-old 8th grader at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in New Orleans. He’s made the honor roll in all four years of middle school. He loves to collect coins, play soccer and tennis, and unicycle. Among those he admires is President Obama. He’d like to visit China’s Terra Cotta Warriors.

LOUISIANA

Vincent Falardeau is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Saco Middle School in Saco, near Portland. He plays the viola in several orchestras and enjoys reading and hiking. The best place he’s been is Brittany, France, where he has relatives. He’d like a job involving travel, such as journalist, Peace Corps volunteer or explorer.

MAINE

Abhinav Karthikeyan is an 11-year-old 5th grader at Clearspring Elementary School in Damascus, near Washington, D.C. He represented Maryland at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He takes part in chess tournaments and likes to collect state quarters. He hopes to become a meteorologist.

MARYLAND

Nicholas Rommel is a 12-year-old 7th grader at Diamond Middle School in Lexington, northwest of Boston. He is fluent in Russian and German. He enjoys hiking and biking. He has hiked to the top of Mount Greylock, Massachusetts’ highest point, and last summer he biked 27 miles on the Cape Cod Bikeway.

MASSACHUSETTS

Philip Huang is a 13-year-old 8th grader from South Lyon, near Ann Arbor, representing Washtenaw County Home Educators. He represented Michigan at the 2012 National Geographic Bee. He likes geography as it shows how people and places have interconnected throughout history. He enjoys playing basketball with his dad.

MICHIGAN

Lucas Eggers is an 11-year-old 6th grader from Rochester, representing Hennepin County Homeschoolers. He earned the top score in the National History Bee for Minnesota and will be competing at nationals in June. Interests are Chinese, French, piano and math. He’d like to be a cartographer or explorer.

MINNESOTA

Victoria Gong is a 13-year-old 7th grader at St. Aloysius School in Vicksburg, west of Jackson. She plays the piano and has received several first-place state awards. She enjoys reading, drawing and writing fictional stories. What she likes about geography is the shapes of the countries, which she finds artistic.

MISSISSIPPI

Evan Hensel is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Wentzville Middle School in Wentzville, northwest of St. Louis. In his free time, he enjoys reading and playing games. The best place he’s visited is New York City, and he’d like to go to Rio de Janeiro to see the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

MISSOURI

Jesse Zhang is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Target Range School in Missoula. What he likes best about geography is finding out how and why the world is shaped as it is and how people inteact with each other and the environment. He likes basketball, travel and video games. He has visited China, his favorite destination, eight times.

MONTANA

Brendan Pennington is an 11-year-old 5th grader at Prairie Lane Elementary School in Omaha. His Pinewood Derby car for Boy Scouts won Best in Show in 2014 and 2013, and he’s won many awards in piano competitions. He loves looking at cruise ships and itineraries and will be going on his third cruise in October.

NEBRASKA

Benjamin Hand is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Hyde Park Middle School in Las Vegas. His team has won the Nevada Science Bowl twice. In his free time, he loves exploring the Internet and learning more about the world through geography. He admires his friends and teachers for being good role models.

NEVADA

Kevin Owens is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Ross A. Lurgio Middle School in Bedford, a suburb of Manchester. He plays soccer on a travel team that has won its New England league championship for two years. He also enjoys freestyle skiing, running and travel. He’d love to go to the Amazon rain forest.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charlie Mills is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Trinity Christian School in Montville. He likes taking part in math competitions and Bible Bees. He’s memorized the periodic table and has a strong interest in isotopes and molecular sciences. He would like to become a land surveyor of uncharted areas.

NEW JERSEY

Gabriel Cuneo is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Shepherd Lutheran School in Albuquerque. He represented New Mexico at the 2012 National Geographic Bee. He competes in state swim meets and has placed in the top three in several events. He also enjoys bike riding. What he likes about geography is looking at maps.

NEW MEXICO

Gabe Straus is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Collegiate School in New York. He represented New York at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He plays the double bass in the school orchestra and has performed at Carnegie Hall. He likes baking novelty cakes and cookies and enjoys rock climbing, hiking and listening to music.

NEW YORK

Sravya Kuchibhotla is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Davis Drive Middle School in Cary. She takes part in chess tournaments and won a state championship this year. She also enjoys dancing, painting, biking and playing basketball. The best place she’s been to is the Bahamas; she’d like to visit the Amazon rain forest.

NORTH CAROLINA

Erik Johnson is a 15-year-old 8th grader from Bismarck, representing Bismarck-Mandan Home Educators. He enjoys reading, running and playing games, especially those that involve history and geography. He’d like to go into the Foreign Service or perhaps be a world traveler. He’d love to go to Japan.

NORTH DAKOTA

Kyle Yu is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Lee Burneson Middle School in Westlake, a suburb of Cleveland. He represented Ohio at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He plays the clarinet and is on his school’s Academic Challenge team. He enjoys swimming, biking and studying geography.

OHIO

Aniket Dehadrai is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Whittier Middle School in Norman, near Oklahoma City. He represented Oklahoma at Mathcounts nationals in Florida this month. He was MVP of his school team that ranked second in the State Academic Bowl. If he could be anyone else, it would be Harry Potter.

OKLAHOMA

Tor Parsons is a 12-year-old 7th grader at Roosevelt Middle School in Eugene. His love of trains sparked his interest in geography. As early as kindergarten, he’d scan world maps looking for train tracks. He and his dad go “railfanning” (train watching) at various scenic spots. He hopes to take a train trip across Canada.

OREGON

Alex Eagan is an 11-year-old 6th grader at Pacific Horizons School in Pago Pago, American Samoa. What he likes best about geography is learning where funny place-name spellings and funny foods come from. The best place he’s been to is Venice, Italy. He hopes to go to Antarctica, as he loves the cold and snow.

PACIFIC TERRITORIES

Ramya Muthukrishnan is a 14-year-old 8th grader at E. N. Peirce Middle School in West Chester. Her favorite part of geography is learning about food around the world. She plays the violin in several orchestras and last year was concertmistress of a district-level orchestra. She plans to become a doctor. She likes to read.

PENNSYLVANIA

Max Levine is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Wheeler School in Providence. He represented Rhode Island at the 2012 National Geographic Bee. An avid downhill skier, he also enjoys playing tennis, playing the violin and learning foreign languages including Mandarin. If he could be anyone else, it would be U.S. ambassador to Israel.

RHODE ISLAND

Krish Patel is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, northwest of Charleston. He represented South Carolina at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 National Geographic Bees. He’s captain of his Quiz Bowl team that has won two state championships. He loves playing and watching sports.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Bridger Gordon is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Sturgis Williams Middle School in Sturgis. He is active in 4-H, and his community service efforts last year in promoting recycling earned him the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. He may become an international lawyer or Foreign Service Officer. He’s visited 24 states.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Christopher Damon is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Meigs Middle Magnet School in Nashville. He plays six instruments and also writes and arranges music. He enjoys listening to rock, classical and jazz. He’d like to travel all the interstates from end to end and hopes to one day travel the globe.

TENNESSEE

Benjamin Benjadol is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Central Junior High School in Euless, a suburb of Fort Worth. He runs a “virtual airline” organization for amateur pilots on flight simulation games. He would love to become a pilot, a surgeon or a dentist. He has won top awards in piano competitions.

TEXAS

Gauri Garg is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Bear River Charter School in Logan. She has won 12 gold medals in ice-skating competitions and also enjoys swimming, skiing and reading geography. She hopes to become a journalist and would like to run for U.S. president. She’d love to travel to every country.

UTAH

Nicholas Norton is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Essex Middle School in Essex Junction, east of Burlington. He plays baseball and soccer competitively and enjoys many other sports. What he likes about geography is that it makes him feel connected to the rest of the world. If he could be anyone else, it’d be Secretary of Education.

VERMONT

Akhil Rekulapelli is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Stone Hill Middle School in Ashburn, near Washington, D.C. He represented Virginia at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. He plays the clarinet in his school’s top band and is a first degree black belt in tae kwon do. He hopes to work for Doctors Without Borders.

VIRGINIA

Andrew Ma is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Evergreen School in Shoreline, near Seattle. A prize-winning pianist, he won the Cascade Symphony’s Concerto Competition in 2013 and debuted with the Cascade Symphony. Of the many places he’s visited, Washington, D.C., is one of the best. He’d like to see Sardinia.

WASHINGTON

Andrew Christy is a 13-year-old 8th grader at St. Francis Central Catholic School in Morgantown. He represented West Virginia at the 2012 and 2013 National Geographic Bees. He likes playing soccer and basketball, running and camping. He hopes to be an architect and would also like to visit all seven continents.

WEST VIRGINIA

Asha Jain is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Minocqua-Hazelhurst-Lake Tomahawk Elementary School in Minocqua, northwestern Wisconsin. She represented Wisconsin at the 2013 National Geographic Bee. She participated in the 2013 World Championship geography contest in St. Petersburg, Russia.

WISCONSIN

Degory Day is an 11-year-old 5th grader at Aspen Elementary School in Evanston, southwest Wyoming. He has won many 4-H awards. He lives on a ranch and raised and showed a blue-ribbon pig at a fair. His interests include Boy Scouts, wrestling, soccer, ranch work, horseback riding and gold panning.

WYOMING