Springtime at Barstow means only one thing (at least for Anita Mohan): World Quest meetings are back on the calendar. Every year, students from around the country come together for an extensive trivia competition, known as Academic World Quest. The trivia topics vary from year to year, but always center around foreign policy issues and international conflicts and events. This year’s topics include:
- Where Climate and Migration Meet
- Afghanistan: End of the 20-Year U.S.-Led Intervention
- Human-Centered Agenda to the Future of Work
- CDC and the Global Health Agenda
- Technology and Democracy: Threat or Promise?
- Great Decisions
- 21st Century Money: Dollars to Digital Currencies
- Working for Peace Through Legacies of War: The Case of Vietnam
- Insecurity in China’s Neighborhood
“Great Decisions” include several subtopics such as “Global Supply Chains and National Security” and “Struggles Over the Melting Arctic.”
Teams of four compete against other teams in the county-wide district competition. The champion team will then move on to compete in the National World Quest Championship, something which the Barstow World Quest team has yet to accomplish.
The highest that the Barstow team has ever placed was fourth. This year, Team Captain Anita Mohan (‘23) is aiming higher. “I’m feeling extremely competitive,” Mohan said, “We’re going to have rigorous and intense practice rounds. If you’re reading this, please come to our meetings!”
Barstow assigns two topics per team member in order to adequately prepare for the competition. However, Mohan (‘23) believes that more is needed, “Our strategy is to work hard, play hard. In World Quest, we strive for the absolute best, and nothing less.”
With the annual World Quest tournament impending, the Barstow students that are interested have begun to rally in preparation for the challenge. “I think we are especially excited this year, because so much of last year was online,” says Mohan (‘23). “We have several new members as well, with enough people for both an A and B team. Having both is quite the rarity at Barstow.”
While World Quest seems like a large time commitment, Mohan (‘23) assures readers that it’s manageable, “I use both of my free periods to do my homework, and study. I know I said a lot about preparation and stuff, but if you just come to the meetings, and review outside, you’ll be fine.”
Mohan (‘23) has been on the team since freshman year and believes that every minute was worth her time, “I like feeling like I know things about the world. That increase in knowledge helps me get more involved within my community, with Barstow and outside of it. I’m able to recontextualize my life experiences, and evaluate my political views. It also helps me foster a better understanding of international relations, and political climates.”
Despite not being able to travel to the competition, Mohan (‘23) also met some of her closest friends on the team freshman year, “It was a connection forming experience. We bonded through the competition, and even though I’ve been at Barstow for a long time, it made the transition from middle school to high school so much easier.”
All Barstow High School students are welcome to join the club, even those with no prior trivia experience.
