She describes herself as a "repository of useless information."
However, for 1992 College graduate Amanda Rykoff, that information stored in her brain helped her get on prime time TV and win some cash.
Rykoff, currently a lawyer in New York City, appeared on ABC's hit television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire last Sunday night.
While she did not win the storied 7-figure grand prize, she won $1,000 for her efforts.
"At least I didn't lose," Rykoff, a former Daily Pennsylvanian sports writer, said. "I left with more than I came with."
Rykoff incorrectly answered the $32,000 question, thereby reducing her winnings to only $1,000.
For her, the appearance on Millionaire was the result of a lot of perseverance.
"Over the course of a year, I called everyday," she said, referring to the show's contestant hotline.
Even though she answered the preliminary questions correct several times, she never made it to the point where she was called back to appear on the show.
However, Rykoff, a history major while at Penn, went to a live Philadelphia audition for the show in March to better her chances.
"I know they were looking for women and they needed personality," Rykoff said.
After passing a written examination and an interview, she was invited to participate in a taping of the show held in early June.
During the episode, Rykoff was the first winner of the "Fastest Finger" question, the playoff round that determines which of the 10 finalists gets the chance to compete for a million dollars.
Upon hearing that she was the fastest person to correctly answer the question, "I freaked out and jumped up and down and gave [host Regis Philbin] a big kiss. I was so happy."
While she cruised through the first few questions, she used the "ask the audience" lifeline -- one of three available to each contestant -- to help answer the $2,000 question.
On the next question, a question pertaining to geography, she used the "phone a friend" lifeline to call her brother.
"My brother is a geography person and is also a [prospective] contestant for the show," Rykoff said.
Two questions later, she used her remaining lifeline, the "50-50 lifeline," to help answer a question about the movie Spy Kids.
But by the time she reached the $32,000 question, she ran into trouble again -- this time without any lifelines remaining.
Asked by this question to answer in which month the president took office prior to the passage of the 20th Amendment, Rykoff answered December. However, Philbin informed her that the correct answer was March.
Despite the certain disappointment at not having won the grand prize, Rykoff maintained that she still enjoyed the experience.
"As nervous as I was, I was still having fun," she said.
According to her, she has gotten three different responses from her friends and family.
"One was that Regis loved you, two was that I equipped myself well and made Penn proud, and three was that I was robbed because the questions were very difficult," Rykoff said.
In the few days since the episode aired, she has gotten calls and e-mails from many people, including some of her Penn classmates who wanted to tell her that they saw her on TV.
However, nervous as she was during the show, watching her episode broadcast on Sunday night was an even stranger experience for her.
"It was so weird watching me be on TV and watching some of the reactions I gave to questions," Rykoff said.
