Recent Mississippi State political science graduate Joey Beachum catapulted himself and his alma mater to the national stage when he realized his lifelong dream of competing on his favorite game show—and walked away with the $100,000 top prize.
The Saltillo native beat out contestants from 14 other colleges and universities to win the College Championship series of the long-running television game show, "Jeopardy!"
"The experience was nothing short of an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Beachum. His fondest memory was having his fiance, Nicole Dilg, in the audience for his victorious moment.
"Right before the final scores were revealed, I looked out into the crowd and saw Nicole watching me live my dream— I will never forget that," he said.
When asked what he'll do with his winnings, Beachum said, "We have a wedding coming up in a couple of years, so I definitely need to save for that."
An ROTC student while at MSU, he now is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.