°®¶¹´«Ã½ Wins National Quiz Bowl
A team of °®¶¹´«Ã½ students showed their smarts by winning a national Quiz Bowl championship tournament over the weekend – becoming the first California team ever to win the community college title.
Zachary Yan, Aditya Bhardwaj, and Ethan Skinner were undefeated in a series of Quiz Bowl contests, which test students on their knowledge of science, math, history and literature, as well as current events and popular culture.
In each contest, a moderator reads a series of questions. A team member must be the first to hit a buzzer and answer correctly – out loud – before the opposing team can answer.
"I like quiz bowl because it combines my love of learning with a fast-paced competition," said Yan, the De Anza team captain, who's majoring in economics and history.
Yan said he started competing in high school and added that he's a fan of the TV game show, "Jeopardy."
The °®¶¹´«Ã½ team won by outperforming seven other sectional champions, including tournament host in Orlando, Florida. Valencia has won the ’ community college championship six times before.
While a Valencia team member earned the highest individual score in the tournament, °®¶¹´«Ã½'s Skinner came in second.
History instructor Mylinh Pham is the °®¶¹´«Ã½ team's faculty adviser.
By winning the , the team earned the right to compete against the country’s top universities and four-year colleges for the overall college championship in Chicago next month.
°®¶¹´«Ã½ students Aditya Bhardwaj, Zachary Yan and Ethan Skinner, with NAQT President
R. Robert Hentzel