Vax-a-Million Winner Is Shaker Heights Graduate

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — Ohio's first $1 million Vax-a-Million winner is a Shaker Heights High School graduate.

The Vax-a-Million lottery awards $1 million prizes to randomly selected vaccinated Ohioans. The lottery will pick five winners in consecutive weeks, with the first winner announced Wednesday. Ohioans need to opt into the lottery for a chance to win.

Abbigail Bugenseke, 22, who graduated with a Bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University this year, is the winner of the state's first $1 million prize. She was driving to her parent's home in Hamilton County when Gov. Mike DeWine called her to let her know she was the first winner.

"To be completely honest, I did not know the winner was being announced [that night]," Bugenske said. "I was completely surprised when I got the call. I still can't believe it. It was a crazy night."

Bugenske said she attended Shaker Heights High School before heading to Michigan State. She got her Moderna vaccine prior to the Vax-a-Million announcement, but said the lottery was a great idea to get people vaccinated.

When asked to summarize how she's feeling and what the past 24 hours have been like, Bugenske said it has been a "whirlwind." She said the reality of her win has not sunk in yet.

Bugenske said her first major purchase could be a used car. "I think that's still in my future," she said.

The new college graduate currently works for GE Aviation and is planning on getting her Master's degree in aerospace engineering. She does not plan to stop working, she said.

The deadline to enter the second Vax-a-Million drawing is 11:59 p.m. on May 30. Ohioans who have already registered for the lottery do not need to re-register.

If you haven't yet registered, you can opt-into the lottery online.

If you're having trouble registering for the lottery, here's what the Ohio Department of Health recommends:

1. Refresh your page. If you visited the website before it went live, you may need to refresh the page to load the current website.
2. Clear your cache in your browsing history. If you visited the website before it went live, your browser may be loading a previous version of the website. Clearing your cache will force your web browser to load the current version of the website.
3. Update your web browser. Older web browsers may have difficulty loading ohiovaxamillion.com and its security features designed to keep your personal information safe. Updating your web browser to the newest version will not only help you load ohiovaxamillion.com properly, but it will also give you the most up to date security features to protect your computer or device, as well as your personal information.

Should Ohioans be unable to register via the website, they can also call the state health department at 1-833-4-ASKODH.