Teen Jeopardy winner donates over $10k to OHSU’s cancer institute

PORTLAND, Ore. – He’s got the brains and now we know he’s got a huge heart.

Last June, 18-year old Avi Gupta — a Columbia University freshman — won the “Jeopardy Teen Tournament” and the $100,000 grand prize. But he’s not keeping it all for himself.

The young man donated a portion of his winnings to pancreatic cancer research at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute on Monday.

He said it was in honor of Jeopardy host Alex Trebek’s battle with pancreatic cancer, someone who he says has been a role model for him.

“A few months ago, I donated $314 dollars because I hadn’t gotten the Jeopardy winnings yet,” Avi said. “But now that I have those, I’m able to give the full amount: $10,314. And 314 is a number with significance to me, it’s pi, to me it represents my lifelong love of learning and mathematics that eventually led me to appear on Jeopardy and has propelled what I’ve been doing ever since.”

Avi said he hopes his donation will help promote research for early detection.

Doctor Brian Druker is the director of the Knight Cancer Institute. He and his wife were so inspired by Gupta, they pledged to match it.

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