'Jeopardy' Champ Amy Schneider Loves Messages From Families Of Trans Folks

Historic Jeopardy champ Amy Schneider opened up about how “meaningful” it is to hear from loved ones of trans people about her wins

After an incredible 40-day winning streak making her the the highest-winning woman in the show’s history, Jeopardy champ Amy Schneider has ended her reign on the beloved game show. Now that she no longer has a buzzer firmly planted in her hands, she’s opening up about what it means to represent the trans community by appearing in the homes of millions of Americans nightly over the past two and a half months.

Schneider tells People that it feels “really great” to have such a monumental impact, and that what means the most to her is hearing from loved ones of fellow trans people about how her wins have helped them carve their own path.

“I had had feelings, kind of a little bit, of almost guilt at just sort of how easy it’s generally been for me, the path of being a trans woman. It’s easy because of the work and sacrifice that so many people before me made,” Schneider said. “There was sort of a little bit of a feeling of guilt about just sort of reaping all the benefits of that without feeling like I was giving much back. To be making an impact now and to be giving something back without trying, with just doing something I was planning to do anyway, is really great.”

Schneider has received lots of support throughout her tenure on the show, but she said, “I think a lot of the most meaningful, to me, have been actually from parents and grandparents of trans people, saying that it’s made them feel better about the life that their loved ones are going to have. That makes me really happy.”

As for what’s next, it seems Schneider — a software engineer and podcaster — is game for whatever opportunities her newfound fame might help leverage. As she told Allure, “Now that I have a bunch of people who are interested in me, I get to figure out what part of me I want to show next. The biggest thing will always be my pride in representing the trans community. There are so many forces working against us, and to show a whole segment of people who might not have had any real exposure to a trans person that we’re just normal people, not weird or frightening, will always be a source of pride for me.”

And tbh, we’re just the lucky ones for getting to see her shine in whatever her future holds.