PITTSBURGH (PTTP) – Nicole Rudolph, newly instated Jeopardy champion and Pitt Alum (1993). Today, she is the Associate Dean for Student Engagement at Adelphi University in New York, and a member of the David C. Frederick Honors College Visitor Board.
Nicole won $16,800 on the March 27 episode of the show, answering questions from caricatures to chemistry.
“I think every contestant is going to have their own pathway to acquiring knowledge,” said Rudolph. She spoke about the value and possibility of being aware of many spheres of knowledge without necessarily needing to specialize.
She continued explaining the value of being open to all avenues and reading beyond your niches. “One of the things I’ve noticed about the decline of print journalism is that consumers of journalism aren’t exposed to as many diverse subjects,” she said, describing how the way in which digital media may guide your eyes to one specific article or topic. “Even in turning the pages to find the article you were looking for, you’d see the headlines.”
Rudolph emphasized the importance of adventure while speaking about her own. She encouraged current students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities, detailing her first travel experience through a scholarship offered by Pitt’s Irish Nationality Room.
One piece of advice Rudolph would share with future Jeopardy contestants is to not get caught up in the pursuit of maximizing performance with data, but to enjoy the adventure and have fun. “There are so many variables and aleatory moments in the game,” Rudolph said, explaining that you risk losing the moment if you are stressed about every possibility or detail.