“Which U.S. State is both the site of the Teapot Dome Scandal and home to the city of Casper?”

At first Alexander Duan, a rising junior at Lexington High School, wasn’t sure of the answer. Then one clue clicked. 

“Once I heard Casper, I was able to piece it together and figure out it was Wyoming,” Duan recalled. 

Moments like that helped Duan navigate the pressure of the National Geography Bee, where 38 of the nation’s top geography students—narrowed from approximately 6,000 participants—competed in Cambridge, Massachusetts. By the end of the competition, Duan had earned first place and the national title. 

The National Geography Bee finalists competed in a variety of formats, from questions at the microphone to written responses. The competition not only tested participants’ knowledge, but also their ability to think quickly under pressure, often challenging them to connect geography, history, and culture in real time. 

For Duan, geography first became a passion in middle school. 

“In 6th-grade Spanish class, we played map games after finishing our work, and I found it a lot of fun. That’s how I first discovered I was interested in geography,” Duan said. 

After Nicholas Akers, an AP Human Geography teacher at LHS, told him about Geography Bee, Duan began preparing seriously, combining traditional study methods with online resources to strengthen his knowledge and recall.

“I played a ton of map quizzes, learning about Brazilian states and Indian states and capitals. I also made a ton of flashcards, and those helped a lot,” Duan said. “The internet is also a great place to find information. I used a website called QBReader, which is actually meant for Quizbowl, but they had a ton of information I was able to pull.”

Beyond structured studying, Duan also found some unexpected sources of information online. 

“I actually got a couple questions from just scrolling. There was this one question about Myanmar that I wouldn’t have gotten if I had not seen a specific short video,” Duan recalled.  

To help retain more obscure facts, Duan developed his own creative memorization strategies, such as using the acronym “Make Small Towns Great Again” to remember the island groups of French Polynesia. 

In addition to preparation, Duan emphasized the importance of mindset during the competition. 

“Going into the competition, I tried to stay calm, relaxed, and just put down good guesses when I wasn’t sure,” Duan said. “I tried to keep a positive mindset so I wasn’t under too much pressure or stress.”

Some of Duan’s favorite memories from the competition came from trusting his instincts in high-pressure moments. 

“During the final round I was guessing on a lot of questions, so every time my guess was correct I was super surprised,” Duan said. “That shock that I got it right was really thrilling.”

After winning the national title, Duan hopes to continue sharing his enthusiasm for geography with the Lexington community through Geography Club. 

“I run Geography Club at LHS during Day 6 I-Blocks. The club’s purpose is to increase people’s awareness about the world and show people that geography can be really fun,” Duan said.

Looking ahead, Duan hopes to expand these opportunities and create even more ways for students who are interested to get involved with geography.

“In the future, I might even try to organize my own Geography Bee at LHS,” Duan said.