COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine introduced the first winners of the Vax-a-Million contest Thursday morning.
We learned Abbigail Bugenske was the first name drawn for $1 million Wednesday night.
Bugenske, a graduate of Shaker Heights High School, is a mechanical engineer at GE Aviation in Silverton. The 22-year-old was driving to her parents’ house in the Cleveland area when she got the call from DeWine.
“I was screaming enough that my parents thought that I was crying and something was wrong,” Bugenske said. She said they told her to make sure it wasn’t a prank. Then she started getting the notifications on her phone. That’s when she knew it was real.
Joseph Costello, who just received his vaccination on Saturday, won the full ride scholarship. His mom Colleen Costello said she planned to get their children vaccinated by the end of the month, but moved up their deadline to register for the drawing.
Earlier in the day, Colleen even joked with friends that her life could change that night.
Jospeh is 14, so he has some time to make sure he has the grades to get into the state school of his choice. He has a few schools in mind, including the Ohio State University.
He and his family spent much of Thursday morning doing national TV interviews about his big win.
The next drawing is May 31 and will be announced June 2.
