Cooper Lecza has driven through Washington, D.C., with his family before.

This time he’ll be able to stop and stay for a few days.

Lecza will make his first trip to the nation’s capital after winning the state geography bee in a lengthy tie-breaker.

The Lurgio Middle School eighth-grader will make the trip from May 18 to 20, hoping to win the top prize that would include a trip to the Galapagos Islands with “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek and a $25,000 scholarship.

By winning the state competition, Lecza earned $100 as well as the National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World.

“I was really excited. I didn’t expect to win,” said Lecza. “I read atlases, bought a book and was just reading maps. I studied probably a month or two months for an hour every day.”

Accompanying the eighth-grader on his trip to Washington will be Lurgio U.S. history teacher Jeff Gookin.

“I think Cooper is very levelheaded. He thinks before he answers. The questions tend to be multi-faceted, but the question gives you hints how to answer it,” said Gookin. “You can find it in many different ways, and a lot of the kids hear the question and panic, but Cooper is good at looking at the whole question and thinking of the best solution.”

Lecza said he was not nervous during the competition, and that he was confident he knew the answers to the majority of the questions he was asked. He is currently working on expanding his knowledge on the profiles of countries, and is looking forward to meeting the other competitors in May.

During the trip, contestants share a room with three other students, one of the aspects Lecza is most excited about. Gookin said the skills Lecza demonstrated are rare for a student his age.

“(Being able to use context clues to solve a problem) is a skill that a lot of kids have difficulties with, especially at Cooper’s age,” he said. “You let the clues lead you so far and make the best conclusion you can. That’s difficult for a lot of kids, and a lot of adults.”

Most of the knowledge Lecza acquired was not taught in the classroom, but found by doing work on his own, something the teacher said is an important lesson.

“It’s exciting to see because we need to know about the world to make informed decisions,” said Gookin. “It’s nice to see him have that interest and passion for learning on his own.”