By Ari Massefski
Answer: Completed in 1869, it has also been known by its nickname, “the highway to India.”
For GW freshman Raynell Cooper, there was $75,000 riding on that question as he competed in Final Jeopardy in the 2011 Jeopardy Teen Tournament.
“It’s the Suez Canal, of course,” he said later of the answer that clinched him the title and a $75,000 prize.
Originally from Toledo, Ore., Mr. Cooper now commutes to GW from his home in Rockville, Md. Only 16 years old, he is pursuing a double major in political science and geography in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Cooper, who has always had a passion for trivia, was an avid participant as a child in academic competitions such as spelling and geography bees.
“I love knowledge, and I love information,” Mr. Cooper said. “I love all the different facts that you can take in.”
He started college early because he skipped several grades in elementary school. But he doesn’t think that his age will be a social obstacle.
“Commuting is more of a roadblock than age,” he said.
Mr. Cooper says that GW has always been his first choice of schools, and that the internships on Capitol Hill are extremely appealing.
“Washington, D.C., is just such a livable city,” he said.
In college admissions, standing out is everything. But when Mr. Cooper was applying for admission to GW, he was prohibited from mentioning his victory, since the show was filmed in December but didn’t air until February.
“I told them I was a contestant, but I couldn’t say that I had won,” he said.
He hoped that his media interviews, which had aired shortly before his admissions decision was released, might have been noticed by somebody in the admissions office, but he will never know for sure.
Mr. Cooper had to pass a few rounds of testing before he was even considered eligible to appear in the tournament, in which 15 teenagers from around the country compete. After excelling in an online trivia exam and acing an audition, Mr. Cooper was flown out to Los Angeles. He lost his first game in the tournament but scored highly enough to move on to the second round. He won the semifinal round and came from behind in Final Jeopardy to win the final round and be named the 2011 Jeopardy Teen Tournament champion.
“Going into Final Jeopardy, I wasn’t expecting to win,” said Mr. Cooper. “It completely caught me off guard, but I was ecstatic after I won.”
He said that the majority of his winnings will be put toward tuition and other college-related expenses.
“Unfortunately,” he said. “I imagined something much more exciting.”
Since the victory, he has been featured in the Washington Post, the Washingtonian, MyFoxDC and NPR.
“The attention’s been all-encompassing,” said Mr. Cooper. “But I’ve certainly enjoyed it.”
To prepare for the teen version of Jeopardy, Mr. Cooper had to learn about many things which have never held his interest before.
“I had to start paying attention to teen celebrities, like Justin Bieber, and I had to read some teen literature,” he said. “My mom also bought me a video game magazine, and I read it on the flight to Los Angeles.”
David Breslaw, Mr. Cooper’s high school world history teacher, said Mr. Cooper was always a standout in his classroom.
“I think I will always be envious of how he can use his background knowledge and be able to come to accurate conclusions about topics he is not necessarily the most well-versed in,” Mr. Breslaw said. “I think that skill in deduction helped him win.”
Mr. Cooper doesn’t keep his success a secret, but he has tried to be modest about it while starting school in a new environment.
“The only time I really bring it up is when somebody’s talking about Jeopardy,” he said with a smile.
Now that it’s over, Mr. Cooper said that the fun has come and gone, but the experience will never leave him.
“I’ll always be a Jeopardy champion,” he said. “They can’t take that away from me.”