Governor Kate Brown, center, announces Chloe Zinda of McMinnville, right, as the $1 million winner of the Take Your Shot Oregon campaign, July 9, 2021.
Courtesy of the State of Oregon / Governor Kate Brown's office
Oregon State University fine arts student Chloe Zinda has won Oregon’s $1 million vaccine lottery.
The prize is part of the state’s campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Zinda, from McMinnville, said she got her shot because she’s a swim instructor and wanted to keep her students safe. She called the prize money life-changing.
“I’m going to use it to pursue my dream as an artist,” she said. “I’ll be able to open my own business, pay off my student loans and hopefully in the future open my own studio. I’m just really excited for what the future holds.”
Another 36 people, one from each Oregon county, have won $10,000 each. Five teenagers have won $100,000 in college scholarships. And several counties offered their own prizes, so the lottery system used a random number generator to pick more than 140 winners, who’ll be notified in the coming days.
Gov. Kate Brown said the prizes don’t mark the end of the pandemic.
“We are going to continue our vaccination efforts,” she said. “We’re going to double down and make sure that ever Oregonian who wants a vaccine will get one.”