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Don't believe you can win a sweepstakes?
FullRide winner Sarah Nye didn't either, until she scored big.
Non-Believer
Wins Big at the FullRide Sweepstakes!
By Feona Sharhran Huff
March 2001
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick --
Sarah Nye wasn't looking to snag any college cash when she logged
onto Colleges.com and registered for the FullRide Sweepstakes sponsored
by the site and Tommy Hilfiger. In fact, the 18-year-old Rocky Mountain
High School senior from Fort Collins, CO, actually stumbled across
the sweepstakes by accident and figured it wouldn't do any harm
to enter. Besides, it wasn't like she was convinced she'd have a
shot at winning the sweepstakes -- worth four-years paid tuition,
a leased car, money for clothing, and dorm room/bathroom accessories.
"I always thought that [sweepstakes] were fixed,"
admits Sarah. "I never thought that someone could actually win."
That is, until she got a letter from the sponsors
of the sweepstakes. "They said I had won a prize, but it didn't
indicate what that prize was," she recalls. Still, Sarah didn't
think much of it. At best, she thought she could have won some Tommy
gear and a few accessories. But when Ramona Benscher, managing director
of Benscher Media, which handled the contest promotions, dialed
her digits and gave Sarah the 'real deal' about her winnings, Sarah
says she stood holding the phone in complete silence.
"I was in so much shock when Ramona told me
I had won the grand prize," says Sarah. "It was so silent you could
hear a pin drop."
Sarah, now a believer in the validity of sweepstakes
contests, says she's glad she made the choice to enter her name
into the drawing.
"I'm going to be able to have a stress-free
college experience," says Sarah, who plans to major in medical science
this fall at the University of Northern Colorado.
This is a definite plus for Sarah, especially
since the University estimates that in-state tuition for the year
will cost $2,720, plus room and board costs of $5,196, fees at $711,
and books at $700. That's a total of $9,327 for one year. Multiply
that by four years and that brings you to $37,308. Sarah's thoughts
on the cost of her upcoming four-year college stint: "No loans here!"
In addition to getting her entire education
funded, Sarah's going to enjoy a dorm outfitted with Tommy Hilfiger
bedding and bath accessories, plus $2,500 to spend on clothes. Another
bonus to her winnings? She won't be footing it to the mall or catching
a bus to the movies. That's because Sarah will be cruising the campus
-- and beyond -- in a leased car for the four years she's in school.
"I've never had a nice car before," says Sarah,
who currently drives a blue 1990 Toyota Corolla. "This is pretty
exciting for me."
Now that Sarah is a mega sweepstakes winner,
she says she won't take entering these contests for granted anymore.
And, she advises college-bounders not to disregard them either.
"Just enter them," she urges. "You might just
win [like me]."
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