The million-dollar prize winner of Oregon’s Take Your Shot COVID-19 vaccination campaign was announced Friday. She is a fine arts student at Oregon State University.
Chloe Zinda just entered a new tax bracket. The McMinnville resident was handed an oversized, one million-dollar check from Governor Kate Brown. Giddy with excitement, Zinda described what she’ll do with the influx of cash.
“This money is really going to be life-changing for me,” said Zinda. “I’m going to use it to pursue my dream as an artist. I’ll be able to open my own business and pay off my student loans and hopefully in the future open my own studio.”
Zinda said when she first heard from the Oregon Health Authority about the big win, she thought it was a scam. Then she found out otherwise.
“I was just screaming and running around,” she said. “Yeah—it was insane.”
Every Oregonian who received a vaccine was entered to win. That’s over 2.4 million people. Additional cash and scholarship winners will be announced in the coming weeks. OHA's Patrick Allen says they drew a total of 140 names at random and will inform the public as soon as winners have been notified.
