Last Look

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Owl Take Jeopardy for $500

TRIVIA LOVERS THE WORLD OVER got to know Brown College senior Jasmine Manansala when she competed in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship” in February. For the computer science major — one of 36 contestants in the award-winning game show’s university tournament — her appearance on the show was the stuff of childhood dreams. “It’s something that’s been kind of a constant throughout my life,” she said of the long-running contest, a mainstay of American pop culture. Manansala competed in one of 12 quarterfinal rounds of the tournament, placing second behind Louisiana State University’s Stephen Privat, who advanced to the semifinal round. While she didn’t advance, Manansala was still awarded $10,000 for making it to the quarterfinals. The night Manansala’s episode aired, she was joined by Brown College friends and supporters who cheered along wildly with every correct answer she gave. Due to how much fun she had, Manansala regrets that this “Jeopardy!” experience will be her last. “National College Championship” contestants are barred from competing on the original version of the show or in future college tournaments. “At least it’s a fun fact that I can tell people that I’m banned from competing on ‘Jeopardy!’” — SCHAEFER EDWARDS ’13

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ON THE WEB

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EXTENDED FEATURE ‘Shimmer!’

Soon after arriving at Rice, freshman composition student Jaylin Vinson ’25 decided to write a cello quartet to be performed by fellow students at the Shepherd School of Music. The piece, “Shimmer!,” had its debut at the Moody Center for the Arts’ “New Art/New Music” concert last fall. The performers were Claire Druffner, Evan Nicholson, Maximus Gurath and Sebastian Berofsky, all members of the Class of 2025. Listen and watch a video about the composition at magazine.rice.edu.

VIDEO Songs About Hope

During the pandemic, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke ’04 collaborated with a wide range of composers to record the album “how do I find you” on the Pentatone label. The CD, recently released, comprises original songs from 17 composers, including Lembit Beecher ’05, Hilary Purrington ’13 and Caroline Shaw ’04, who wrote the first song on the album. Each song addresses some challenge or struggle related to the pandemic. Pianist Kirill Kuzmin accompanies Cooke on the collection. Watch a video about Cooke’s inspiration and process.