SLO boy headed to Rome for international history bee — but he needs help to get there

If you’ve ever asked the question “Are you smarter than a fifth-grader?” this San Luis Obispo boy might be a tough one to measure yourself against.

That’s because 9-year-old Augustine Wang-Zhao, a soon-to-be fifth-grade student at Bishop’s Peak Elementary School, will be representing the United States in the International Academic Competition’s International History Olympiad in Rome, a spot he secured after advancing past the regional and national rounds.

Suffice it to say, he probably knows a bit more about the subject than you.

Augustine’s parents, Jack Wang and Yuting Zhao, said their son has been interested in history from an early age.

“When he was a little kid, he was always asking all kinds of detailed questions about history, but sometimes we didn’t even know the answers,” Zhao said.

In late February, Zhao said she found out about the National History Bee’s regional finals, held at the University of Southern California.

By chance, the March 25 regional finals in Los Angeles coincided with the family’s road trip to the Grand Canyon, so with just over three weeks’ notice, Augustine’s parents decided to sign him up, Zhao said.

After passing the online qualification exam — which Augustine described as “totally easy” — it was off to the first level of competition.

“He was not prepared for this competition specifically, but he was shining there,” Zhao said. “He got second place with very little preparation, and we were all amazed.”

Augustine’s win at the regional level kicked off three months of studying and competition, all leading up and the International History Olympiad, which will be held in the Italian capital from July 23-31.

SLO County student advances to international competition

Augustine said his favorite topic to learn about is European history, though he also loves American and world history, too.

Each level of competition has brought new, harder questions, he said.

“This battle resulted in the French’s recognition of the U.S. This battle consisted of John Burgoyne’s troops being defeated by Horatio Gates. For a point, name this American Revolution battle in 1777,” Augustine recited from one of his competitions.

The answer? The Battle of Saratoga.

Wang said many of the questions used in the competition’s elementary school division — which consists of students in the fifth grade and under — are similar to high school Advanced Placement history tests.

At the regional level, contestants answer four rounds of 30 questions, Wang said, with the top scorers then facing off in a final round.

With his second-place medal in hand, Augustine qualified for the National Championships held in early June in Washington, D.C., along with the top half of the students in each division.

There, he was successful again, ranking 20th nationally out of 150 students and advancing to the international level of competition, along with the top quarter of contestants, Zhao said.

After his victory, when Zhao picked up Wang and Augustine at the airport in San Luis Obispo, the family was greeted by friendly faces, she said.

“When I went to pick them up, his classmates were there to give him a warm welcome back home, holding up signs at the SLO (Regional) Airport,” Zhao said.

How you can help get Augustine to Rome

Advancing to the international competition means harder questions and more complicated games for the contestants to play, Wang said.

Augustine recited example of a “medium” difficulty question he encountered at the National Championship:

“This man led the expedition of the thousand, effectively ending the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies,” Augustine recited. “This Italian national hero and leader of the unification of Italy commanded a fleet during the Uruguayan Civil War. For a point, name this Italian national hero and leader of the Italian unification under Victor Emmanuel I.”

If you guessed Giuseppe Garibaldi, you might have a shot at competing on Augustine’s level.

To prepare for the National Championship and International History Olympiad, Augustine studied questions used in previous years, which are available on the competition’s website, he said.

He’s also a big reader, from conventional history books to the depths of Wikipedia, Wang said.

Since the first grade, Augustine has read more than 100 books on history each year, according to his GoFundMe page, which is raising money to help cover the family’s travel costs for the trip to Rome.

Augustine also enjoys museums, an interest he shares with his parents.

“We like history, but not as passionately as him!” Wang said. “Wherever we go, as long as there’s a museum there, we’ll go.”

Zhao said Augustine is a self-motivated learner who can easily understand and memorize information, likening his ability to a photographic memory for history in particular.

His parents think a future in history might be in the cards for Augustine, too — when the family toured Stanford University’s Hoover Tower and its collections, Augustine asked whether he could study there, and if the tower was hiring an intern.

However, as for the immediate future, Augustine’s parents are focused on getting him ready for the international competition — and how to get the family there.

“Between lots of expenses for medical needs and the stretch of flying Augustine and his dad to Washington, D.C., just a month ago, they’re not in a position to send him to Rome,” Augustine’s GoFundMe page reads. “That’s where the community comes in, those of us who live near Augustine, go to school with Augustine, love history, love kids — and love kids who love history!”

To help pay for the family’s eight days of competition in Rome, parents at Bishop’s Peak Elementary and family friends set up the GoFundMe, which so far has raised $6,570 of its $10,141 goal. Go to bit.ly/augustinegofundme to donate.