Sam Osborne, current Santa Fe College Graphic Design Technology student, made his big screen debut on America’s favorite quiz show, Jeopardy on Feb. 19. He jokingly likens his Facebook fame amongst friends and family as “feeling like a hot girl on Instagram.” He is especially proud of Sen. Marco Rubio’s tag on Facebook. All kidding aside, Sam feels humbled and is grateful to the many people who have formed his support system long before his appearance on the show. Among that support, he counts his mother, a teacher, and his father as inspiration and credits them with his value for education and curiosity of learning new things.
After his second attempt at the preliminary online test, Sam was invited to a regional audition in Orlando, Fla. The only thing separating this experience from the real deal was that Alex and the cameras were missing, he described. After being called back, Sam ventured to California, where he was excited to meet the show’s crew that makes it so fascinating.
Sam really enjoyed “how professionally, socio-economically, and personally diverse the contestants are,” who come from every background and all parts of the country. There were some who received invitations after only one tryout, while others had been trying to land on the show for decades.
“Among them were eccentrics and oddballs…but the majority are very down-to-earth folks that share a love for learning,” Sam stated.
Going head-to-head with two English majors, one of which was the librarian that took home the prize, is the reason why Sam wishes he had read more poetry. Aside, from that he felt he was as fully prepared as he could be. He is confident that had the final question related to history, geography, or visual arts, he would be a returning champion.
Before the show, Sam earned his B.A. from Flagler College, who he recognizes as an elite provider of accounting and business education. From there, he went on to earn his MBA from the University of North Florida and put his education to practice in the field. There, he found that his talents and potential vocational excellence lied elsewhere. That is how Sam came about enrolling at Santa Fe, where he is studying graphic design. He hopes to complete an internship while at Santa Fe to make valuable connections, build his portfolio and find a career in an “urban, coastal, and Southern” location.
Sam was content to be able to say that he was on Jeopardy and that he represented himself, his family, alma maters, and community well. He was fascinated by how large the game board was, and that Alex Trebek was much taller than he expected. The exhilarating experience went by too fast, and he wishes that former contestants could have another swing at the show. But for now, Sam is happy to be back to the books at Santa Fe College, paving the way for a successful new career.
