Jamie Ding’s long run on “Jeopardy!” is over, but he says the show gave him a chance to represent immigrants in a “positive light.”

“As an immigrant and a person of color, I was able to become part of the history of an American institution,” Ding told People after his April 27 loss.

Ding’s 31-game run brought in $882,605 in winnings. He told the magazine his time on the show gave him a platform to bring viewers together, especially as he spoke about recent government action.

“‘Jeopardy!’ really is an institution and America’s turning 250 years old and the federal government is going after immigrants in a way unlike anything that we’ve seen in the recent past,” he said. “So I hope that immigrants can be seen in a positive light, too.”

The Princeton graduate’s winning streak ended on Monday, April 27, when Greg Shahade won after a Final Jeopardy question asked contestants to name the first and last of South Africa’s 12 official languages alphabetically.

All three contestants answered correctly, but Shahade was already ahead by $16,000. He finished with what People described as a nearly $14,000 lead over Ding.

“I think my last game is unusual, because I was a super champ, but I also lost in a runaway, which I feel like is the first time that ever happened,” Ding told People. “It almost makes me feel better about the thing because there wasn’t really one clue or whatever that everything hinged on.”

As he submitted his Final Jeopardy response, Ding left fans a short signoff: “TTFN!” He wrote it as shorthand for “ta ta for now.”

Despite the loss, Ding said he valued the messages he got during filming.

“I kept hearing how it was bringing people together, and I love that very much,” he said. “I’ve heard people say, ‘It’s nice to have something positive on TV!'”

Ding is set to return for the show’s season-ending Tournament of Champions, a two-week postseason event featuring the top regular-season contestants.

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