The Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence welcomes four new members this summer!
Joy An (they/them) is a rising sophomore at Harvard studying chemistry and comparative literature, and the president of Harvard’s quizbowl club. They are an avid writer and appreciator of any category that’s not history, and some will claim they are a “literature” and “fine arts” player. They’re particularly passionate about creating welcoming spaces for gender minorities in quizbowl, and hope to continue their work on this front with PACE. Outside of quizbowl you can find them ruining both of their ankles in the dance studio, cooking evil chemicals in the lab, playing silly pop tunes on their violin, devotedly following the Hungry Caterpillar diet, and generally engaging in shenanigans and tomfoolery.
Jeremy Cummings (he/they) became involved in quizbowl in 2017 after searching for activities similar to the show Only Connect, and soon fell in love with the game. He is currently a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, and enjoys playing, staffing, and writing for quizbowl events locally, nationally, and online.
Bern McCauley (he/him) has been the quiz bowl coach at Great Valley High School since 2012. During that time, Bern has directed several tournaments at GV, worked to build a larger eastern PA circuit, and campaigned for increased used of pyramidal questions in local competitions. Outside of quiz bowl, Bern is a Social Studies teacher and soccer coach at Great Valley.
Victor Pavao (he/him) has worked in software for 6+ years and is currently enrolled in UMass Amherst’s GIST program. He first played quizbowl in 2012, and after years of infrequent play, began taking writing and editing roles in 2021. Victor contributed to 2024 NSC and has worked with PACE on a software project. Victor currently resides in Massachusetts and volunteers at tournaments throughout New England.