OSU student wins Oregon’s $1 million ‘Take Your Shot’ prize — but thought the text was a scam
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon’s newest millionaire – and its first ever to get that rich by getting the COVID-19 vaccine – is an Oregon State University student from McMinnville who first thought a text she got with the news of her big “Take Your Shot Oregon” jackpot could be a scam.
“I missed the call (from the Oregon Health Authority) because I was at work,” Chloe Zinda told reporters at a news conference Friday afternoon with Gov. Kate Brown and other state officials.
“I showed the text to co-workers and said, ‘Is this a scam?’” Zinda said. “I texted all my family and said, ‘Is this a scam?’ I ended up scheduling a call with them later. I found out in my house. I was so shocked, I ran downstairs, screaming and shouting. It was insane!”
Brown introduced Zinda, saying she “comes from a family of Beavers, is studying fine arts and is absolutely passionate about the environment.”
Zinda said the main reason she got the vaccine, as over 70% of Oregonians now have, is her part-time job as a swim instructor: “It’s important for me, and for the students’ parents, that their kids are staying safe and healthy.”
“This money is going to be really life-changing for me pursuing my dream as an artist,” she said. “I’ll be able to open my own business, pay off student loans and hopefully open a studio.”
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen noted that because more than 2.4 million Oregonians now have received at least one dose of a vaccine, “COVID-19 no longer holds Oregon so tightly in its grip,” with the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the decline.”
Additional winners of state and county Take Your Shot, Oregon prizes, including five $100,000 scholarships, will be announced in the coming weeks as winners are notified.
