Nilai Sarda A super-smart teen wins $26,400 in Jeopardy’s Teen Tournament At just 13, The Westminster Schools whiz kid Nilai Sarda is one to watch. Literally—on TV. The rising sophomore won $26,400 with a third-place finish in this year’s “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament. The youngest contestant in the tournament, “I was just amazed I was able to make it on,” he remembers. “I watched the show a lot and looked at the archives.” This year, Sarda also placed third overall at the U.S. Geography Challenge and in 2011, an 11-year-old Sarda scored second place in the National Geographic Bee. He has competed at the national level for MathCounts and You Be The Chemist, and qualified for the National History Bee. Decidedly disciplined, Sarda has a rigorous study regimen leading up to competitions that even includes weekend hours. And although he might be a star of the Westminster math, science and quiz bowl teams, the one question Sarda still doesn’t know the answer to is where he will attend college (he hopes to study engineering). “That’s still a while away, so I’m not sure,” he explains. “Right now, I’m looking at Stanford, MIT, Caltech and Georgia Tech, but nothing’s set in stone yet.” Smart answer. Photo: Sara Hanna Photography
September/October 2013 | Simply Buckhead
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