Shaw employee claims $2M Powerball prize, endows scholarship
A Shaw University alumna and longtime employee claimed a $2 million Powerball prize Thursday and said she will dedicate some of her winnings to fund a scholarship in her family's name.
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Marilyn Fields who works as the executive assistant to the president of the university, said she will also set aside money for her grandchildren's education.
"For me, it was a miracle to attend Shaw University," Fields said in a statement released by the North Carolina Education Lottery. "By awarding a student with the Richardson Johnson Fields Endowed Scholarship, I can give students who are doing the best that they can academically, but still need financial help, the same opportunity I had."
Fields, 59, met her husband, Charlie, while they were both students at Shaw. Her son, Brandon, also graduated from there, and her daughter, Nina, attended the school
“Marilyn is beloved by this institution,” Gaddis J. Faulcon, Shaw’s acting president, said in a statement released by the university. “She has been a faithful and consistent donor and has given Shaw her time, talent and money for nearly 40 years. She has sponsored students, given some money and has done whatever she can for those in need. We are thrilled and thankful for her. This could not have happened to a better person.”
Fields bought her winning ticket at her usual spot – a Food Lion on Six Forks Road in Raleigh. The ticket beat odds of 1 in 5.1 million to match all five white balls drawn.
She will get a one-time cash payment of $1,384,000 after taxes are withheld.
“I think that’s awesome,” store manager Thomas Cestaros said. “I know it’s a random event and it could happen anywhere. But...I’m floored that the ticket was sold at our store.”
A ticket sold in Ohio matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing to win the $124.9 million jackpot.
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