Amy Schneider
After an impressive 40-game winning streak on Jeopardy!, Amy Schneider became a household name. She’s not only the most successful woman to compete on Jeopardy!, she’s also the first out trans contestant to qualify for the game’s “Tournament of Champions.” A software engineer from Oakland, Calif., Schneider says the barriers women face pursuing careers in American society are almost more limiting than the barriers she’s faced as a trans woman. “Society discourages women from excellence in many different fields, including the software engineering field I chose to pursue,” she tells GO. Despite the numerous barriers she’s come up against, Schneider says that society’s lim- itations were nothing compared to the limitations she put on herself while living in the closet. Transitioning, “made my life better in many more ways than I could have imagined,” she says, and her personal and professional life have since soared to new heights. Intellectual inquiry has always been a driving force in Schneider’s life, and she believes that the ability to question things, and to be a life-long learner, can help deepen a person’s understanding of themselves and the world we live in. When asked about what her future holds, Schneider says she aims to, “represent, empower, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community—the trans community in particular.” She also hopes to spark curiosity and inspire a love of learning in others. To “inspire people to pursue their own quests for knowledge wherever that might lead,” she says, “would be an accomplishment I would be proud to have as my legacy.” –LC
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