Justin Vossler ’11. Photo courtesy Jeopardy!
GENESEO, N.Y. – Here's today's Final Jeopardy! answer: This SUNY Geneseo alumnus amassed five straight wins and $112,000 in winnings on a popular nationally syndicated game show.
The correct question is: Who is Justin Vossler ’11?
And so after five straight wins as Jeopardy! champion, Justin Vossler ’11 fell a little short on quest for the sixth win last night on the long-running program. His formidable display of general knowledge, however, may continue to serve him well as he may be in the running for the program’s Tournament of Champions later in the year, which brings together the best of the best to compete for the ultimate title.
“If they invited me, I would be more than happy to go,” said Vossler, who resides in Homer, N.Y. “The experience was fantastic and so much fun. I’ve been humbled and so appreciative of the support from Geneseo and fellow alumni who have been cheering me on. It’s been really nice.”
Vossler credits the liberal arts foundation he received at Geneseo for helping to ensure a strong showing on the program. He majored in history and earned teaching certification at Geneseo. He also received a master’s degree in education at SUNY Cortland and now teaches 9th – 12th grade social studies at Moravia High School, where he has been for six years.
“In addition to the courses in my major at Geneseo, I definitely benefited from my classes in art history, music history and my sciences courses,” said Vossler. “Geneseo is known for its excellence and my exposure to many topics allowed me to absorb a lot of knowledge.”
Vossler said his late grandmother helped spark his interest in the program and often would watch with her.
“She was a big fan and would say, ‘Let’s watch and exercise our brains,’” said Vossler. “That was always a fond memory of mine, and I later took the online test to be considered as a contestant. Nothing panned out the first time I took it but the second time worked out well.”
Vossler is not the first first Geneseo graduate to compete on Jeopardy! At least two others have contested: Vossler’s classmate Audrey Watkins-Fox '11 was a two-day winner in 2015, and Chris D'Orso '97 was a contestant in 2009.