Help Send Team Sierra to the World Scholars Cup
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Hello! My name is Miles Lima, and I'm a sophomore at Sierra High School in Manteca, California. I'm reaching out to you today because of an exciting opportunity that I am bringing to my school.
Back in April 2024, I, alongside teammates Douglas Tipton and Colin Nguyen, had the incredible opportunity to participate in the San Francisco Regional Round of the World Scholars Cup, an international academic competition that challenges students to showcase their knowledge, critical thinking skills, and teamwork abilities. Despite facing formidable competition from high-tuition private schools across the SF Bay Area, we proudly represented Sierra High School and made our mark on the competition.
Out of 50 teams, we achieved 4th place overall, a testament to our collective efforts and determination. Additionally, I had the honor of placing 4th overall individually out of approximately 150 participants, earning a total of 11 medals, including gold medals in debate and on the multiple-choice test.
As a team, we secured gold medals in debate and the multiple-choice test, as well as silver in the quiz bowl. We were also recognized as the second-best debate team in the entire competition. These achievements not only filled us with pride but also qualified us for the global rounds of the World Scholars Cup, held in Stockholm in July.
We studied hard, and faced great adversity. Two weeks before we left for Stockholm, Tipton was forced to pull out of the competition for personal reasons. As such, we had to find a replacement competitor on extremely short notice. It was a significant request. We were asking a perspective team member to study over 150 pages for an extremely difficult round of an already challenging competition, before traveling to a country over 5,500 miles away, all with less than 14 days before go time. Luckily, Nguyen and I had become good friends with Kaushik Chamchani, a freshman (now sophomore) at Sierra. He was more than happy to work with us, and signed onto our team.
We performed very well in Stockholm. Out of approximately 150 teams in our division, we placed 7th overall and 6th out of all North American teams. We scored a silver medal in writing (top 50), a gold medal in the quiz bowl (top 15), and gold medals in debate and for the multiple choice test (both top 10). The team won a collective four trophies and thirty-one medals. Chamchani's performance was outstanding, despite his limited preparation and relative unfamiliarity with the competition's structure. I received the honor of placing 8th overall out of just under 500 individual competitors. Nguyen's debate performance helped us to earn 8th place in the category. We proudly represented Sierra amongst all the elite private schools and international institutions, qualifying for the final round, the Tournament Of Champions, held in New Haven in November.
The team was able to secure funding from our school district to attend the final round. We performed well in New Haven, earning a collective 25 medals and 1 trophy. I was personally ranked 17th of all individual scholars, with thousands in the division. Additionally, we made and strengthened several valuable connections with students from around the world. It is this fact that inspired me to expand our experiences into a full program. The World Scholars Cup is beautiful, in that it encourages intercultural dialogue between individuals from every corner of the Earth. We learned so much about other ways of life, outlooks, and philosophies. Even to this day, we regularly communicate with students in Canada, Turkey, Mozambique, Japan, England, Australia, Mongolia and more. I wanted to give this opportunity to the other students at Sierra. I can honestly say that my life was enriched by my time participating. Driven by my desire, I founded the World Scholars Program at my school in August of 2024.
This endeavor is extremely costly, however. Fifty students have signed up for the 2025 season. The estimated cost for transportation, lodging and registration fees across the regional, global and championship rounds is estimated at $150,000 per year. Given the cost, the World Scholars Cup is dominated by private institutions, which can afford to send their students around the world on relatively short notice. Sierra, on the other hand, is a public school. Despite that, we excelled in the competition, even outranking several established and highly prestigious delegations. I wish to transform this potential into a regarded and sustainable WSC program here in Manteca. To do this, I need your help.
Your generous contributions will help to empower us to showcase the talent, dedication, and potential of students like us. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference in our journey.
Thank you for considering supporting Team Sierra as we continue on this exciting adventure. Together, we can make our dreams a reality and show the world what we're capable of!
Sincerely,
Miles Lima and Team Sierra
-- Go Timberwolves!
https://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/local-news/sierra-scholar-team-earns-4-trophies-31-medals-in-world-cup/
Fundraising team: Sierra WSC Administration (2)
Miles Lima
Organizer
Manteca, CA
Colin Nguyen
Team member