My name is Kristin Madsen and I want to tell you all a little bit about my son Rowen.

Now everybody thinks their kid hangs the moon… Everyone thinks their kid is special. And everyone is right. I’m here to tell you why Rowen is special. It’s not because of his batting average, or his strength, or his speed down the court. But Rowen has a vocation of his own. And he too has devoted hours honing his skills.

 

Rowen has been fascinated by the world around him since a very young age. As a toddler, instead of playing with matchbox cars or trucks, he collected miniature figurines of skyscrapers across the world. His pretend play took place at the Burj Khalifa, Big Ben, or the Taj Mahal. During trips to Barnes and Noble his readers of choice were National Geographic’s that taught him about Space, Weather, Geography and People and Events that changed the world. He didn’t have a lot of room or time for Pete the Cat.

 

Suffice to say his love of learning started at an incredibly young age. He can read or watch about anything and retain it in a way I find quite enviable. Once a topic piques his interest, he’s all in. He will seek out as much information as he can on the subject and just soak it in. He loves sharing what he’s learned with anyone willing to listen.

 

When Rowen started 4th grade this year, he told his TAG teacher, Mrs. Wagamon, about his love of geography. He loves it so much, in his spare time at school he makes power point presentations on little known countries! Mrs. Wagamon then found an opportunity for Rowen to tap into this knowledge in a competitive setting.

 

International Academic Competitions (IAC) was founded in 2010 and consists of a network of numerous academic competitions. The IAC oversees competitions in 25 different countries and is committed to bringing enrichment and competitive opportunities to primary and secondary children. For more information on the organization, the competitions, and even to view Rowen’s results at Regionals, you can visit https://www.iacompetitions.com.

 

Mrs. Wagamon and Rowen prepared for the qualifying exams in Geography through the fall and Rowen sat for the exam in the end of December. “For Fun” Rowen also sat for the Science and History exams as well. His scores were phenomenal and he ended up qualifying for a Regional Competition in all 3 categories. We celebrated this accomplishment and prepared for regionals. Rowen decided to just compete in Science & Geography since those were his highest scores.

 

We attended Regionals in Chariton, Iowa on April 9th. This was the closest competition, the next closest being in Chicago. Unfortunately, there were no other elementary children competing in Chariton. Therefore, for Rowen to participate and compete, he would have to sit with 6th graders for Geography and 7th graders for Science. I was nervous for him, I thought he would succumb to the pressure of competing against older children. I didn’t need to worry, he dominated the competition. Rowen maxed out his points every single round. In the Geography Bee, none of the 6th graders came close to Rowen’s score. In Science he scored one point less than the 7th grade winner. He had the second highest points in a subject he didn’t feel the need to study for because this was his “for fun” competition (Geography is his passion).

 

We left Chariton as National and International qualifiers. I’m proud of Rowen each and every day. That day, we were both over the moon!

 

Rowen has dreamt of attending Nationals since Mrs. Wagamon told him about the competitions. He worked hard, and it paid off. We will be leaving for Nationals in Orlando, FL on June 15. Rowen will compete June 17-20th against students from all over the country in International Geography and Science.

 

Because of Rowens scores, he also qualified for the International Competition for Geography (the IAC does not yet have an International competition for Science). This opportunity was more than we could have ever imagined. And I’ll never be able to adequately explain how much an opportunity for Rowen to meet and compete with children of like minds from all over the world would mean to him. The International Competition takes place in Burlington, Vermont the first full week of July. The itinerary includes a trip to Montreal, Canada and other enrichment opportunities in addition to the competition.

 

We would like to humbly ask for your support and to help sponsor Rowen for this trip. Your donation would help offset the cost of the registration, fees and airfare, estimated at $4,000

 

Thank you so much for your consideration,

Kristin Madsen