Home state: Pennsylvania

Grade level: Sixth

The only girl and the youngest winner to date, Susannah Batko-Yovino won the Bee as an 11-year-old. Since winning the competition, she has worked to promote the study of geography. In 1993 she worked with the Pennsylvania Geographic Alliance to write an appropriations bill to increase funding for geography education. With Susannah’s help, the bill passed the state senate. Another achievement came in 1995 when she finished second in the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.

Today she is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University, where she studies biology and philosophy. Although geography isn’t her major course of study, she still sees the relevance of the subject. “I’m still very interested in history and foreign languages—both subjects where geography is very, very important,” she explains.

“Read, read, read! Geography overlaps into every aspect of life, so I would suggest keeping up with both history and current events.” That’s Susannah’s advice for Bee preparation. She adds, “Remember that the Bee isn’t about winning—it’s about learning as much as you can.”

Winning Question:

Mount Erebus is a volcano on which continent?

Answer: Antarctica

       Photograph by Maria Stenzel