Meet Evan Jiang, Maret Haab, and Nadia Astudillo, members of your 2026 Alumni Service Team! They make up the Social Team portion of the AST, which means they are in charge of moderating the National Bible Bee’s social community and the Community Quests during the Summer Study.
Here are some quick and fun facts to help you get to know each of them:
Evan is from Acton, Massachusetts, about an hour west of Boston; he is 18 and participated in the National Bible Bee for 6 years. A fun fact about him is that he loves to play soccer (though he says he’s not very good at it :). At this time, he is studying at Patrick Henry College and will be graduating in 3 years. He is studying Economics and Business Analytics, but hopes to go into ministry as well.
Maret is from Jenison, Michigan; she is 19 years old and participated in the National Bible Bee from 2013-2024, competing from 2015-2024. She loves being active indoors and outdoors, which means she enjoys hiking and climbing sand dunes. She also enjoys working out and studying all she can about health and fitness. History is another of her passions; she is an active volunteer for her local historical association. Her favorite musical genres are jazz and classical, and she is also a huge board game buff. Right now Maret is studying at an online school to get her certification as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
Nadia is from Fort Wayne, Indiana; she is 18 (19 in NBB years, she adds) and participated in the National Bible Bee from 2020-2025. She is a professional Wedding and Portrait Photographer and runs her own business. She is also a certified USSF and IHSAA Soccer Referee; in her career she has officiated over 300 soccer games! In her free time she likes to read, go on walks with her family, commit Scripture to memory, and write letters. Nadia is currently investing in her community in several ways, which include hosting a National Bible Bee group and growing her photography business.
Hey, guys! Welcome to the National Bible Bee Blog! Tell us a little bit about each of your NBB journeys. How did you first start participating in the National Bible Bee?
How did you first start participating in the National Bible Bee?
Evan: My mom heard about it from friends and decided it would be a good idea for us to participate. I didn’t really know what I was doing in my first year, but I stuck with it and I am super thankful that I did!
Maret: My mom heard about Bible Bee from a homeschooling mom in our area and signed me and my 2 older sisters up when I was going on 7. We had an amazing locals group and a lot of support, and Bible Bee has been a huge part of our life since then!
Nadia: On the last day of Bible Bee registration in 2020, my mom saw a Facebook Ad for the National Bible Bee and registered me! I absolutely fell in love with the study, met so many amazing friends and kept coming back every year since!
What’s a lesson you learned from your time in the National Bible Bee that has practically influenced your life?
Evan: I learned to love the word of God. God’s word never returns void, and it is the only sufficient and infallible rule for life. God’s word is more precious than gold, for God speaks to us through the Scriptures, and His word is always true and applicable to whatever we are facing in life. The National Bible Bee taught me to treasure the word, to hide within my heart.
Maret: Learning how to memorize large portions of Scripture, and realizing that it is absolutely not impossible to commit a bunch of verses to memory in a short amount of time, was absolutely life-changing for me! I think all of us have much more mental capacity than we realize, and competing in NBB definitely challenged and stretched me in a way that I would never have experienced otherwise. I’ve learned so much about how to memorize and retain things, and now that is so helpful to me as I pursue higher education, which of course comes with a lot of information! Plus, what could be better than having so much of God’s Word stored in your brain? It’s definitely harder to find the time and motivation to memorize now that I’ve graduated, but I still have those skills and try to use them as much as I can to keep memorizing God’s Word.
Nadia: During my time in the NBB I really learned so much about how to practically memorize and study God’s Word. I had always enjoyed studying and memorizing Scripture, and participating in the Summer Study and competing at Nationals helped me grow so, so much! It was amazing for me to see that memorizing large amounts of Scripture in a shorter amount of time was definitely not as impossible as it seemed. I was also struck year after year with the absolute beauty and richness of God’s Word. Getting to spend so much time going over the same passages throughout the year made them stand out to me all the more.
Can you share a favorite moment you’ve experienced while studying for NBB or attending the National Bible Bee Competition?
Evan: There are many fun and valuable memories. I remember that in 2024, we went down to Orlando and Nats was held in an ornate hotel. In one of these halls, one of my friends who does not speak Chinese began asking me whether I liked dumplings in very bad Mandarin Chinese. Afterwards, we decided it would be funny to track down other guys who knew Chinese. It was very funny, and my friend could not keep it together.
Maret: That’s a hard one! Probably my favorite memories from NBBC are simply the sweet fellowship that always happens there. Just being able to spend time with other young people who place such an emphasis on memorizing and internalizing Scripture is super encouraging. Praying with friends backstage before events began would also be up there on the list of favorite memories.
Nadia: Memories made while studying and at the NBB are some of my favorites! I’ve loved early morning study sessions, as well as meeting with friends via zoom to recite and quiz each other over our passages and materials. Nationals has been a huge highlight in my year just getting to fellowship with so many like minded friends, quizzing, singing and talking together after months of pouring over the same passages of Scripture!
Before you go, is there one thing you’ve taken away/learned from competing in the National Bible Bee Competition that you would like to share with everyone?
Evan: At the end of the day, the competition is all about Jesus. It’s not about winning the 1st place prize, it’s not about the applause, and it’s not even about making 50 new friends. Over the season, contestants will have memorized so much Scripture, and the value of knowing these words is priceless! 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that Scripture is breathed out of the mouth of God, and is useful for training, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
Maret: I think the biggest thing God taught me through competing in NBBC is that glorifying God truly is the greatest goal of our lives and nothing else can bring us true satisfaction. The more I got invested in the competition side of things, the more God taught me that ultimately that’s not what it’s all about! The less I thought about myself, my goals, and my scores or test results (even though those are all legitimate and good things to think about, in their place!), and the more I thought about bringing glory to my Savior, the more true happiness and peace in His plan and His will I experienced. Having this mindset shift especially transformed my last couple years of Bible Bee in ways I could never have imagined, and I want you all to experience it, too! Ephesians 3:20-21 has been a very special verse to me in this regard, God gets all the glory for His work in our lives!
Nadia: I have learned so much through competing in the NBB! My main takeaway from my time as a competitor would be to never lose sight of the depth and richness of God’s Word. Whether just reading a chapter in the mornings, or pouring over a difficult 3 card Memory Passage for the hundredth time, pausing to soak in the real meaning of the passage is so important. Having those passages memorized well so I can quote and meditate on them wherever I am has been such a treasure!
Interview by NBB Alumna: Rachael English
