WA students shine on Yale stage

Three West Australian students excelled at the World Scholars Cup at Yale University last month, picking up a handy haul of medals.

Yizhen Pu, Eknoor Kaur, and Vanessa Gardner, representing Kelmscott Senior High School and Kinross College, showcased their academic talent at the Tournament of Champions.

All three competed in the senior division of the competition, which had more than 1,350 participants, aged 15 to 18 years. Despite two team members, Eknoor and Vanessa, being in the junior age group, they competed alongside senior-level scholars. 

The journey to the competition began early this year, with regional rounds involving more than 5,500 students worldwide. After success in these rounds, the team advanced to the finals at Yale.  

The World Scholar’s Cup was founded in 2007, created to be a celebration of the joy of learning, a tournament as rewarding for the team that came in last as the for the team that came in first. It's an enrichment opportunity that aiming to motivate students, not just to demonstrate their existing strengths, but to discover new ones. 

Guided by the theme ‘Reimagining the present’, the students tackled a diverse syllabus in addition to their regular school curriculum. 

The group’s achievements: 

• Team gold medals in literature/media, art/music, social studies, and history. 
• Ranked 51 in the Team Gold Medal Scholars’ Bowl. 
• Individual silver medals in debating: Vanessa Gardner ranked 355 and Yizhen Pu ranked 448. 
• Silver medals, Young Senior Scholars: Eknoor Kaur ranked 123 and Vanessa Gardner ranked 125. 
• Eknoor Kaur awarded a gold medal in social studies 
• Yizhen Pu earned a gold medal in collaborative writing, a silver medal in science, and was ranked No. 25 overall among scholars. 

Kelmscott Senior High School’s Deputy Principal Jaquie Sandhu, expressed how proud she was.  

"The parents, students, and I are very appreciative and proud of the public-school banner flying strong and proud. There were no other scholars from WA and only a handful from the rest of Australia,” she said.  

Learn more about the competition here The World Scholar’s Cup.