Although only one student leaves the Bee finals each year with the top prize, every state champion returns home with a unique experience. But do the effects of this experience continue?

As a two-time state winner, the Bee still influenced me after eighth grade, as I moderated my first school Bee, spoke at a state competition, and began to compete in other academic contests. I began to wonder what happened to the other contestants and friends I had met in Washington, D.C. Where were they, and how would they reflect on their Geography Bee experiences?

During the spring of 1999, I contacted the Bee to obtain the names and addresses of other former finalists. Beginning with the 1991 contestants, I searched the Internet for the name of each student, hoping that many had home pages or e-mail addresses. To that 50 percent found online, I e-mailed 12 questions regarding their current whereabouts, interests, and reflections on the Bee. I sent the others the same questions at their 1991 address. The response was so strong that the project expanded to include all of the 196 college age state champions, and 53 percent responded to the survey.

So where are they now? To begin with, every former champion has gone to college. Eighty-five different institutions are represented, with the greatest single number attending Harvard, followed by Princeton. Almost 70 percent are majoring in the social sciences, many of whom are studying foreign languages, international studies, or history. Seven percent are geography majors. The state champions have studied abroad in 18 countries, led mountaineering expeditions, anchored local newscasts, and worked as National Park rangers. After their Bee experience, 82 percent were involved in other academic competitions, from quiz bowls to debate tournaments to Jeopardy!. Some even received nicknames from fellow students, including "Mr. Maps," "Geography Man," and "Queen Bee."

The state champions believe the Bee is valuable because it shows the importance of geography, encourages participants to learn about the world, teaches self-confidence, and is just plain fun. And like this 1992 winner, each has his or her own story to tell: "What the National Geography Bee really showed me was an overall sense of possibility. It reminded me that being interested in the world is always a valuable thing, and it showed me, at a very vulnerable time in my life, that there were other people out there who shared my interests."

For these state champions, the memories and lessons of the Bee will last a lifetime.

This article is scheduled to appear in the Fall 1999 edition of Bee Line, the annual Geography Bee newsletter that is sent with contest materials to participating schools. For the comprehensive results of the study, please click here.