The 18-year-old now plans to finish her studies and become a doctor. (Representative pic)
A Canadian teenager has become the youngest lottery winner to take home a jackpot worth 48 million Canadian dollars (36 million USD) in the country, that too with the first ticket she ever bought. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced that Juliette Lamour was the winner of the jackpot prize in a statement on Friday.
"While there have been other 18-year-old lottery winners across Canada in recent years, no one has won as much as Juliette," the company said in a statement, as per The Independent.
After winning the lottery, Ms Lamour revealed that her grandfather had suggested she buy her first ticket as a way of marking her 18th birthday. "I just turned 18 and my grandfather suggested I buy a lottery ticket for fun," she told Global News, adding, "When I went to the store, I wasn't sure what to ask for because I had never bought a ticket before, so I called my dad who told me to buy a LOTTO 6-49 Quick Pick."
Ms Lamour further said, "I still can't believe I hit the Gold Ball jackpot on my very first lottery ticket!" The 18-year-old also went on to say that she had subsequently forgotten that she had purchased a ticket. She revealed that she was at work at a store one day when her colleagues told her the winning ticket had been sold in their city - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Also Read | Former Mexico Zoo Chief Accused Of Ordering 4 Goats To Be Killed And Cooked For Party
Ms Lamour then remembered that she had one ticket and gave it to one of her colleagues to check the results. She said that when the ticket was scanned on the app the music started to play and "Big Winner" was displayed on the phone. "My colleague fell to his knees in disbelief. He was yelling, in fact, everyone was yelling that I won $48 million!" Ms Lamour added.
According to the BBC, the 18-year-old now plans to finish her studies and become a doctor. She has said that she will "carefully" invest the majority of the jackpot with the help of her father, who is a financial adviser. Ms Lamour also stated that she wants to return to northern Ontario to practice medicine and give back to her community.
The University student does plan to have a little fun with the jackpot winnings as well. "Once school is done, my family and I will pick a continent and start exploring," she said. "I want to experience different countries, study their history and culture, try their food, and listen to their language," she added.
But despite the win, Ms Lamour will focus on her work rather than the jackpot. She is hoping to abide by some of the advice her loves ones have shared with her. "Money doesn't define you," she said, adding, "It's the work you do that will define you."