Palm Desert HS Wins 1st Place In 20th Academic World Conference

PALM DESERT, CA—Seven Coachella Valley high schools competed in the 20th annual Academic WorldQuest competition in mid-February at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus (PDC). According to a recent news release from the school, local assistant professor of history Michael Karp, a member of the board of directors of the World Affairs Council of the Desert, facilitated and coordinated the event.

“This year’s competition was very special, as we celebrated 20 years of Academic WorldQuest in the Coachella Valley,” Karp said. “Over the past two decades, hundreds of high school students have competed in WorldQuest. Each year, dozens of volunteers make the event happen, but in looking back at the past 20 years, none of it would have been possible without Charles and Priscilla Porter. They founded WorldQuest in the desert and have tirelessly supported it. In honor of their legacy, we officially renamed our local competition the Charles and Priscilla Porter Academic WorldQuest competition.”

Palm Desert High School took first place in this year’s competition. Team members included Sareen Bhakta, Kiamehr Karagah, Shaurya Mahajan, Tilda Rector and Coach Patricia Lizza.

Rancho Mirage High School captured second place, and La Quinta High School took third after a long tiebreaker round with Palm Valley School.

The Rancho Mirage High School team included Lorelei Beyronneau, Paige Foster, Elyana Lewis, Micaela Sese and Coach Kim Robinson. The La Quinta High School team members included Noe Baltazar, Kai Jackman, Tyler Nettimi, Ryan Shaner and Coach Justin Klockenteger.

After five individual rounds and nearly two hours of competing, Palm Desert High School finished on top with a score of 42 out of 50. The team will move on to compete against other high school teams throughout the country in the National Academic WorldQuest Competition on April 28.

Scholarships were awarded to each student in the top three teams: first place, $300; second place, $200; and third place, $100. The Maggie and Dr. Tom Headrick most improved award went to Palm Valley School, whose team members won $75 each.

Sponsored by World Affairs Council of the Desert, the Academic WorldQuest is a team competition that challenges the students’ knowledge of world affairs.

The topics this year included Space and National Security; Borders and Boundaries; Mexico: 2025 Focus Country; and Great Decisions, with the subtopics The Future of NATO and European Security, AI and American National Security, and Current Events.

The 2025 competing high schools also included Desert Hot Springs High School, Shadow Hills High School and Xavier College Prep. Certificates of recognition were given to all participating team members, according to the news release.

Karp served as chair for the WorldQuest committee and was assisted by Kim Burge, Lisa Corbin, Tom Headrick, Gordon Kramer, Charles Porter, Priscilla Porter and Karen Speros. Jim McFarlin, who is a member of the World Affairs Council and serves as chairman of the board of directors, concluded the event with a speech and dedication to Charles and Priscilla Porter and announcing the new name of the competition.

Event sponsors included Charles and Priscilla Porter, Barry Berlin and Mary Reisher, and Lance Eldred and Dr. Rita Stec as platinum sponsors; The Auen Foundation as a gold sponsor; Dr. Myron and Joanne Mintz, McDonalds of the Shalhoub Management Co. Inc., and the Walter Clark Legal Group as silver sponsors.

For more information about the Academic WorldQuest, visit the World Affairs Council of the Desert website.