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From left: Christopher Alkhoury, Jake Passel, Andrew Bockover, and Aaron Reese celebrate with a group high five.07/08/2009
MAAS Students Victorious in "Mess-o-po-trivia Night"
Four students representing the MAAS program charged to victory on June 22 in the “Mess-o-po-trivia Night,” a contest sponsored by the Middle East Institute that pits young members of the District’s academic, non-profit, and think tank elite against one another in a battle of wits and obscure Middle Eastern knowledge.
Three MAAS students—Andrew Bockover, Aaron Reese, and Christopher Alkhoury—along with Jake Passel, a former MEI intern and a “friend of Georgetown” (as Aaron puts it), participated in the competition, which also included teams from the Middle East Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the U.S.-Qatar Business Council, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Layalina Productions, the National Democratic Institute, CHF International, the Cato Institute, and the cast of the hit Arab world TV show “On the Road.”
The MAAS team cruised to victory in the first round, scoring 11 of 15 questions correctly. The final round proved more challenging, but the foursome ultimately prevailed with 9 of 15 questions answered correctly. The team was running on all cylinders throughout, with Andrew answering a tricky question about the Straights of Tiran and Aaron identifying the mountain refuge of the Hashashin (Alamut) and the two biggest football teams in Egypt (Ahly and Zamalek).
After such an impressive performance—one that will most likely be aired on the second season of “On the Road”—the students couldn’t be blamed for kicking back and soaking in the glory. But there’s no room for complacency with stakes this high. So what now?
“Start practicing for next year, of course,” Andrew said.
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Photos:
The MAAS trivia team shows off its trophy.