Aditya Jay Singh, a fourth-grade student at King Street Intermediate School, has qualified for one of 100 spots at the state competition of the National Geographic Bee.

The state competition will be held April 6 at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Aditya qualified after winning his school’s contest and then passing on an online test administered in January. The competition is open to students in grades four through eight; 10,000 schools across the country will compete in the 2018 National Geographic Bee for a chance to win a $50,000 scholarship.

To prepare for the competition, Aditya said he and his father go to the public library and take out books – lots of books.

“I’m really interested in learning about the world and Earth,” the nine-year-old student said. “Geography is basically about geology and the world combined. I read books over and over so it sticks in my mind. I make stories about things so I remember.”

In the first round of the school competition, Aditya said he got one wrong of seven questions and fared the same in the final round. He plans to study hard for the state competition.

“I will try to read a book on every single country and U.S. state,” he said, adding that his dad quizzes him because he shares the same interest in learning about the world. “I can notice on older map what’s changed – and sometimes those changes lead to political disputes.”

The final championship will be held May 21-23 at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C.