World Scholar’s Cup is an academic competition which consists of a debate, a multiple-choice test, and Scholars bowl, which is structured like a team Kahoot.

Senior Ofir Dvir started the World Scholar’s Cup in 2017 with the goal of giving motivated students the chance to gain a more worldly perspective and refine their debate skills.

“What we’re trying to do is encourage worldwide cooperation between students of all age levels through the junior and senior divisions and it is really, really exciting to do that kind of thing. You get to meet people worldwide and you get to enrich your academic experience” Dvir said.

The Woodbridge World Scholar’s Team proved to be successful as they went to multiple global rounds and even the Tournament of Champions at Yale University. This is the final competition which you can only qualify for by placing high enough in one of the global competitions. However, it was not a problem for the Woodbridge team that currently has 154 medals and 5 trophies.

 “After I attended the global round in Barcelona in 2018 I decided it was going to be an amazing experience for everyone at Woodbridge,” Dvir said

World Scholars Cup is more than just an intellectual event.

“It’s an academic competition with a twist-it’s a lot more laid back. For example, instead of just being about getting the best score and being first place, it’s about learning. They say the main goal is for everyone to learn something new and have fun in the process,” board member Melissa Tsaowimonsiri said.

The competition includes many non-academic aspects to the competition, such as the Scholars’ Ball, which every large World Scholars Cup competition holds. It is a formal dance that gives students time to socialize with each other and learn more about various cultures around the world.

Not only does the  World Scholar’s Cup allow students to engage with one another intellectually, but it also allows for an immersive cultural experience. If the team moves on from the regional rounds in Los Angeles, then there is a Global round. They choose one to go to out of the handful of Global rounds available in places such as Melbourne, Barcelona,  and Durban.

 “This year, we had the option to attend rounds in The Hague, Beijing, Sydney, Kazakhstan, Manilla, and Durban,” sophomore and Vice President Diyya Ganju said. 

For many people, going to different areas of the world and experiencing them first-hand is one of the most exciting parts of the competition.

“I interact with people worldwide from countries I’d probably never heard of before like Tunisia and Estonia. I’ve met people from countries that I thought would hate me because of my cultural background. I was born in Israel, and I interacted with people from Pakistan, who are very Islamic, but we interacted and made great friends. It kind of gave me a worldly perspective as well, and I honestly can’t wait to continue with it,” Dvir said.