Ohio's third Vax-a-Million winners have been chosen and are set to be announced Wednesday night. Two additional winners have already been chosen — one adult will win $1 million, and one person aged 12 through 17 will win a full-ride scholarship.Both were chosen Monday afternoon via a random number generator, lottery officials said. But no one will know who won Ohio's vaccine lottery — not even the winners themselves — until Wednesday evening.The names of those winners will be announced at 7:29 p.m. Wednesday.WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE ON WLWT.COM.This is the third of five total drawings in Ohio, a COVID-19 vaccination incentive dreamed up by Gov. Mike DeWine.Time is needed between the drawing and announcement for verification purposes, state officials said.Both winners have to be vaccinated and Ohio residents. Up to 100 alternative names would be drawn if the winner cannot be verified as vaccinated.As of Tuesday, more than 5.4 million Ohioans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 4.8 million are fully vaccinated. The state reached its goal benchmark last week when the health department reported there were fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 residents.Meet the first four winners of Ohio's Vax-a-Million sweepstakes below.JONATHAN CARLYLE, OF TOLEDO: Ohio's second $1 million winnerAn Amazon delivery driver is Ohio's second $1 million Vax-a-Million winner.Jonathan Carlyle, of Toledo, is the second Ohioan to win the state's vaccination incentive grand prize.The state's newest millionaire is an Amazon delivery driver. Carlyle said he was just getting off work around 7 p.m. when he received a call from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine."I actually missed the call," Carlyle said. "I was checking out from work and had to call him back. But I was shaking when I talked to him when I heard his voicemail -- I knew what it was and about lost it."The governor said he plans to make a habit of calling the state's Vax-a-Million winners ahead of each Wednesday's 7:29 p.m. drawing.“It’s overwhelming. I don’t know what to do. I’m still dreaming," Carlyle said of that call.The Toledo man said he doesn't have any big plans for his new money -- first pay off bills, then, perhaps, a house."I got a lot of bills to pay – so that’s the first thing that’s going to happen,” he said through a massive smile.“Pay some bills and probably buy a house. I’m going to keep working. My girlfriend is going to keep working – it’s going to be a good bedrock for our family. It’s going to be awesome.”Carlyle said the state's Vax-a-Million drawing actually inspired him to finally get the COVID-19 vaccine. After winning $1 million, he said it was well worth it."Get vaccinated! Do it! We need to!" he said.ZOIE VINCENT, MAYFIELD VILLAGE: Ohio's second scholarship winnerOhio's latest winner of the Vax-a-Million scholarship said she wasn't expecting the call Wednesday after signing up for the lottery while waiting to receive her second dose of the vaccine.Zoie Vincent was announced as Ohio's full-ride scholarship winner. Vincent was out of town at the time of the drawing but found out about her luck via a FaceTime call from the governor."So you made a call to my dad and it was just kind of ... weird and he just kept saying your name and I was like, 'What's happening?' And he said I won the scholarship," Vincent said."It was really wild. It came out of nowhere. We weren't expecting it. It was a super big surprise. We were all so excited."Vincent said she is interested in pursuing a career in medicine, specifically pre-med or a biology program. She said she has been looking at schools such as Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University."I have been interested in medicine and science for as long as I can remember," Vincent said.She said she has completed one year as a med tech at school and it helped solidify her passion for science. She said the scholarship will help her focus on her education in medicine and not student loans."I could see my career instead of me paying off my debt so it was a big relief in that sense," Vincent said.Vincent said she did not hesitate once she was eligible for the vaccine, saying she got COVID-19 a while back and was very sick and wants to do what she can to prevent that from happening to others.ABBIGAIL BUGENSKE, SILVERTON: Ohio's first $1 million winnerAbbigail Bugenske has won Ohio's first $1 million jackpot in the state's Vax-a-Million lottery.A recent college graduate, the 22-year-old Bugenske lives in the Cincinnati area, residing in the small and quiet village of Silverton about 11 miles northeast of the city.She works for GE Aviation, recently moving to the area for her job.She's also an Ohio State University student pursuing a master's in aerospace engineering and graduated from Michigan State University in August of last year.Speaking to the press for the first time, Bugenske said she has no plans to quit her current job — a job she loves — and plans to donate at least some of her winnings to charity.“I was completely surprised when I got the call. I still can’t believe it. It was a crazy night," the 22-year-old said.Bugenske received a personal call from Gov. Mike DeWine, shortly before the state's 7:29 p.m. drawing.“Calling someone and telling them that they won a million dollars is a great thing," the governor said through a large smile, remembering Bugenske's reaction.She was driving from the Cincinnati area to her parents' house in the Cleveland area, a bit oblivious that the drawing was currently happening.“I was screaming enough that my parents thought I was crying and that something was wrong," she said. "And when I started yelling that I won $1 million and was going to be a millionaire, they told me to calm down and make sure it wasn’t a prank before I really started freaking out.”The call was, in fact, real. Bugenske said her phone began to blow up with notes from friends and social media friend requests.The 22-year-old said she received the COVID-19 vaccine long before the birth of the Vax-a-Million program, but added that if winning $1 million isn't an incentive enough, she doesn't know what is.“I originally got vaccinated just to protect friends, family and everyone I came in contact with,” she said, adding that Vax-a-Million win was just a bonus.JOSEPH COSTELLO, ENGLEWOOD: Ohio's first scholarship winnerHe’s only 14, but can attend almost any college he wishes.Joseph Costello, of Englewood, was announced as Ohio's first Vax-a-Million scholarship winner, awarded a full-ride scholarship at only 14 years old.His mother is a chemical engineer and his father is a school teacher. But neither of them will need to figure out how to pay for Joseph's college.“My first reaction was I thought maybe I was listening to your voice -- that it was a taped message," mother Colleen Costello told Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine. "The more we talked, the more I realized it was really live. I was really thankful that moment because there was a bench nearby. I needed to sit down and sort of ... ground myself a little to absorb the information you were sharing.”Joseph had just finished the eighth grade. He just received his first shot on Saturday ahead of Wednesday evening's drawing.His mother entered Joseph and her two other children in the lottery.Now, he gets free college tuition. That scholarship also includes room, board and books. However, winning a scholarship does not guarantee admission.In a big update, DeWine announced that the state will put money into a 529 Plan for the winner. The amount of money put in will be equal to the highest Ohio state university cost. That way, the winner can still go to a college of his or her choosing.Joseph said he's still unsure what he wants to study, or which university he wishes to attend. But the 14-year-old still has time to think about that.
Ohio's third Vax-a-Million winners have been chosen and are set to be announced Wednesday night.
Two additional winners have already been chosen — one adult will win $1 million, and one person aged 12 through 17 will win a full-ride scholarship.
Both were chosen Monday afternoon via a random number generator, lottery officials said. But no one will know who won Ohio's vaccine lottery — not even the winners themselves — until Wednesday evening.
The names of those winners will be announced at 7:29 p.m. Wednesday.
WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE ON WLWT.COM.
This is the third of five total drawings in Ohio, a COVID-19 vaccination incentive dreamed up by Gov. Mike DeWine.
Time is needed between the drawing and announcement for verification purposes, state officials said.
Both winners have to be vaccinated and Ohio residents. Up to 100 alternative names would be drawn if the winner cannot be verified as vaccinated.
As of Tuesday, more than 5.4 million Ohioans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 4.8 million are fully vaccinated. The state reached its goal benchmark last week when the health department reported there were fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 residents.
Meet the first four winners of Ohio's Vax-a-Million sweepstakes below.
JONATHAN CARLYLE, OF TOLEDO: Ohio's second $1 million winner
An Amazon delivery driver is Ohio's second $1 million Vax-a-Million winner.
Jonathan Carlyle, of Toledo, is the second Ohioan to win the state's vaccination incentive grand prize.
The state's newest millionaire is an Amazon delivery driver. Carlyle said he was just getting off work around 7 p.m. when he received a call from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
"I actually missed the call," Carlyle said. "I was checking out from work and had to call him back. But I was shaking when I talked to him when I heard his voicemail -- I knew what it was and about lost it."
The governor said he plans to make a habit of calling the state's Vax-a-Million winners ahead of each Wednesday's 7:29 p.m. drawing.
“It’s overwhelming. I don’t know what to do. I’m still dreaming," Carlyle said of that call.
The Toledo man said he doesn't have any big plans for his new money -- first pay off bills, then, perhaps, a house.
"I got a lot of bills to pay – so that’s the first thing that’s going to happen,” he said through a massive smile.
“Pay some bills and probably buy a house. I’m going to keep working. My girlfriend is going to keep working – it’s going to be a good bedrock for our family. It’s going to be awesome.”
Carlyle said the state's Vax-a-Million drawing actually inspired him to finally get the COVID-19 vaccine. After winning $1 million, he said it was well worth it.
"Get vaccinated! Do it! We need to!" he said.
ZOIE VINCENT, MAYFIELD VILLAGE: Ohio's second scholarship winner
Ohio's latest winner of the Vax-a-Million scholarship said she wasn't expecting the call Wednesday after signing up for the lottery while waiting to receive her second dose of the vaccine.
Zoie Vincent was announced as Ohio's full-ride scholarship winner. Vincent was out of town at the time of the drawing but found out about her luck via a FaceTime call from the governor.
"So you made a call to my dad and it was just kind of ... weird and he just kept saying your name and I was like, 'What's happening?' And he said I won the scholarship," Vincent said.
"It was really wild. It came out of nowhere. We weren't expecting it. It was a super big surprise. We were all so excited."
Vincent said she is interested in pursuing a career in medicine, specifically pre-med or a biology program. She said she has been looking at schools such as Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University.
"I have been interested in medicine and science for as long as I can remember," Vincent said.
She said she has completed one year as a med tech at school and it helped solidify her passion for science. She said the scholarship will help her focus on her education in medicine and not student loans.
"I could see my career instead of me paying off my debt so it was a big relief in that sense," Vincent said.
Vincent said she did not hesitate once she was eligible for the vaccine, saying she got COVID-19 a while back and was very sick and wants to do what she can to prevent that from happening to others.
ABBIGAIL BUGENSKE, SILVERTON: Ohio's first $1 million winner
Abbigail Bugenske has won Ohio's first $1 million jackpot in the state's Vax-a-Million lottery.
A recent college graduate, the 22-year-old Bugenske lives in the Cincinnati area, residing in the small and quiet village of Silverton about 11 miles northeast of the city.
She works for GE Aviation, recently moving to the area for her job.
She's also an Ohio State University student pursuing a master's in aerospace engineering and graduated from Michigan State University in August of last year.
Speaking to the press for the first time, Bugenske said she has no plans to quit her current job — a job she loves — and plans to donate at least some of her winnings to charity.
“I was completely surprised when I got the call. I still can’t believe it. It was a crazy night," the 22-year-old said.
Bugenske received a personal call from Gov. Mike DeWine, shortly before the state's 7:29 p.m. drawing.
“Calling someone and telling them that they won a million dollars is a great thing," the governor said through a large smile, remembering Bugenske's reaction.
She was driving from the Cincinnati area to her parents' house in the Cleveland area, a bit oblivious that the drawing was currently happening.
“I was screaming enough that my parents thought I was crying and that something was wrong," she said. "And when I started yelling that I won $1 million and was going to be a millionaire, they told me to calm down and make sure it wasn’t a prank before I really started freaking out.”
The call was, in fact, real. Bugenske said her phone began to blow up with notes from friends and social media friend requests.
The 22-year-old said she received the COVID-19 vaccine long before the birth of the Vax-a-Million program, but added that if winning $1 million isn't an incentive enough, she doesn't know what is.
“I originally got vaccinated just to protect friends, family and everyone I came in contact with,” she said, adding that Vax-a-Million win was just a bonus.
JOSEPH COSTELLO, ENGLEWOOD: Ohio's first scholarship winner
He’s only 14, but can attend almost any college he wishes.
Joseph Costello, of Englewood, was announced as Ohio's first Vax-a-Million scholarship winner, awarded a full-ride scholarship at only 14 years old.
His mother is a chemical engineer and his father is a school teacher. But neither of them will need to figure out how to pay for Joseph's college.
“My first reaction was I thought maybe I was listening to your voice -- that it was a taped message," mother Colleen Costello told Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine. "The more we talked, the more I realized it was really live. I was really thankful that moment because there was a bench nearby. I needed to sit down and sort of ... ground myself a little to absorb the information you were sharing.”
Joseph had just finished the eighth grade. He just received his first shot on Saturday ahead of Wednesday evening's drawing.
His mother entered Joseph and her two other children in the lottery.
Now, he gets free college tuition. That scholarship also includes room, board and books. However, winning a scholarship does not guarantee admission.
In a big update, DeWine announced that the state will put money into a 529 Plan for the winner. The amount of money put in will be equal to the highest Ohio state university cost. That way, the winner can still go to a college of his or her choosing.
Joseph said he's still unsure what he wants to study, or which university he wishes to attend. But the 14-year-old still has time to think about that.
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