Ohio State graduate student wins first Vax-a-Million

Ben Blavat
Thu, 03 Jun 2021 01:49:48 +0000
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Gov. Mike DeWine announced the Ohio Vax-a-Million program to boost Ohioans’ interest in getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Credit: Randy Ludlow via TNS

Abbey Bugenske was driving from Cincinnati to Cleveland Wednesday night to visit her parents when she got a call from Gov. Mike DeWine.

The 22-year-old had won $1 million.

Bugenske is the first Ohioan to win the Vax-a-Million, a statewide lottery for residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. DeWine said in a Thursday press conference that he wanted to call the winners personally.

“I was completely surprised when I got the call, and I still can’t believe it,” Bugenske said at the Thursday press conference. “It feels like this is happening to a different person.”

Bugenske, who graduated from Michigan State University in May 2020, is currently pursuing a master’s in aerospace engineering at Ohio State, according to the university directory.

“Congratulations! We’re so excited for Abbey,” university spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email. “We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccination if they have not done so already.”

Bugenske said she works as a mechanical engineer at GE Aviation and has no plans to quit her job. She said she plans on donating some of the money to charity, but other than that she’s still deciding how to spend it.

“I did come up to Cleveland from Cincinnati to look at a used car, and I think buying a used car is still in my future,” Bugenske said.

Bugenske said she received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine as soon as it was available. As of the first Vax-a-Million drawing Monday, more than 2.7 million other vaccinated Ohians had thrown their hats in the ring, DeWine said.

In addition to Bugenske’s $1 million prize, 14-year-old Joseph Costello was awarded a full-ride scholarship to a college in Ohio of his choice. His reward was equivalent to the cost of tuition, room and board, and books at the most expensive public university, but DeWine said that Costello could also put the funds toward private colleges if he wished.

“I don’t really know what I would want to study, but I know some schools I might want to go to, like Miami University or Ohio State University,” Costello said at the Thursday press conference.

The next Vax-a-Million drawing will be held June 2 at 7:29 p.m. To enter, vaccinated individuals should visit the Vax-a-Million website and register by May 30 at 11:59 p.m.

“I would encourage anyone out there to go ahead and just do it. You don’t have anything to lose and everything to win,” Colleen Costello, Joseph’s mother, said.

Drawings will continue each Wednesday until June 23. Participants only need to register once to be eligible for all future drawings, according to the website.