Kiyanna Noel
staff writer
Winning the lottery would change my life, but I would keep it a secret and when people ask, I would say I invest in real estate and stocks. However, there’s a few things I would do if I won the lottery. The first thing I would do is pay off my student loans. After this, I would get my master’s as well as invest in stocks to make back some of that money. But, following this I would spend the rest of my time traveling before settling in a big house in the middle of nowhere with a big garden and a farm.
natalie st. denis
editor
If I won the lottery I think I would donate a portion of it to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. I currently donate a small amount a month to the organization, but I would love to be able to contribute a larger donation in memory of my dogs Chester and Lucy who both passed away from cancer. Then, I’d also like to budget an amount of my lottery money to plan a trip around the world and visit new places, like Sweden, Australia, Japan and Norway, to name just a few. I’d also like to return to some of my favorite countries like England, where my best friend moved to, and The Netherlands. With my remaining lottery winnings, I would buy a summer house in Greece.
Michael Mellon
Staff writer
The idea of receiving a large sum of money all at once for no effort brings many thoughts to mind. If something like that were to happen in my life in short I think I would have an idea of what to do with it… but it’s complicated. While having a large amount of money would help take stress away from many normal aspects of a person’s life, I feel it might bring up new ones.
Some of these positives I could see for myself would be not having to worry about a long list of things such as where to live, what to do for a living, paying off debts, and helping those in need. These positives give freedom to an individual to do as they please in their adventure of life and the ability to give back to those less fortunate. without worrying about budgeting and taking time off of work or school. This is where the flip side of the coin comes into play for me because that ultimate freedom could leave me purposeless in a life where with nothing to worry about I fear there will be nothing to motivate me to move forward. Growth to me is one part of failing and overcoming obstacles and the other part of wanting to succeed and be happy. With this money, I think it would partially remove these obstacles to growth.
With that being said I feel that purpose could switch into something new with a whole new way of life being put in front of me creating new obstacles and opportunities. These new obstacles could be learning how to manage all this money for the first time in my life, which is a troublesome issue that many former lottery winners have faced and ended up losing. Based on this thought experiment, the purpose that comes with this could be investing in new companies and starting or donating to charities to help those in need. Although I may be conflicted on what to do with the money I do have some idea of what I would like to do.
One more thing I would like to touch on is a negative seen in past winners, this being how people view you as a personal bank account after the big win. With gaining a large amount of money a lot of people are going to want a piece and while I would give my friends and family some I fear that they could become dependent on this in their lives. I wouldn’t want those close to me just to rely on me to stay afloat in life. I’d rather see them succeed and be happy on their own accord and I’d just help them out a bit.
With all that being said the first thing I would do would be to contact my lawyer and financial planner to help me navigate this large amount of money. After that, I’d donate a good portion to charity or to start my own. Then my next move would be to give some to my family and friends then I’d save some for myself and have enough so I wouldn’t have to worry too much in life and still be able to explore this world while having a bit of fun.
Jesse Taylor
editor
I guess it depends on how much we’re talking but I’m just gonna say what I would do if I won the Mega Millions. If I won the Mega Millions the first thing I would do is buy a mountain lodge on Killington mountain in Vermont. Then I would use a big chunk of the money to travel to as many countries as I could. I would also buy a new home for my mom and my sister. This will never happen though unfortunately, my luck is the worst with these kinds of things.
Jessica Landman
editor
If I won the lottery, I would travel anywhere and everywhere. I love traveling and I want to see as much of the world as possible. I would start in Europe as I have always heard about the beautiful architecture there. Every city is also so old and steeped in history. Then I would want to visit Africa to be able to admire the natural beauty and maybe even see some of the animals that I’ve only ever seen on TV. Then I would travel east to Asia and experience all the cultures that can be found there. I have always been fascinated in eastern culture as it is so different from ours.
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