Teen wins National Geographic Bee, $50,000 scholarship

WASHINGTON – Akhil Rekulapelli has his life mapped out. The 13-year-old wants to attend Stanford University and become a doctor, probably a surgeon.

But he knows it will be a while before he achieves anything as satisfying as his victory Wednesday in the National Geographic Bee.

“I think, right now, this is probably the biggest accomplishment I’ll ever achieve in probably 20, 30 years,” said Akhil, an eighth-grader from Sterling, Virginia. “It’ll be a while.”

Akhil outlasted nine other finalists and answered all three questions correctly in a one-on-one showdown with his youngest rival, 11-year-old Ameya Mujumdar, of Tampa, Florida.

Akhil receives a $50,000 scholarship, which is doubled thanks to a donation from “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek.

The finals will be broadcast tonight on National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD.