SAN DIEGO, Calif.
July 17, 2008
Chloe` Frazier
Graduate student, Flannery O’Connor, won the $75 million in California’s Super Lotto Plus Friday, July 11, 2008. O’Connor has no history of gambling, and a visit from her brother gave her the ticket to her dream of starting a rock & roll camp for girls.
Growing up with a musical background, O’Connor takes classes at UCSD as a graduate student-repetitive. “I played classical piano for nine years,” O’Connor said. She is currently studying performance in musical subcultures and gender.
When she joined a band, she played with mostly boys. This gave her the idea to start a camp where girls can learn to play in a rock & roll.
In her undergraduate years, O’Connor lived in a dorm filled with musicians. While in college, she joined several bands and started writing music. Since she started playing rock and roll, she has never looked back. When she moves back to Ind., she wants to buy a house with a basement large enough for music shows.
Around 8 p.m. on July 7, 2008, O’Connor was watching television when the winning lottery numbers came across the screen. “I think I checked my ticket at least 25 times,” O’Connor said. She spread the news to friends and family and they were very excited for her. “Its funny, my brother bought the ticket and all he won was a liter of Pepsi,” O’Connor said. Now that O’Connor has the money to spend, she goes out with friends, When the bill comes around, her friends look at her and she respectfully pays it off.
She would also like to take her mother to Italy and buy a candy-apple-red Vespa with a matching, red helmet. O’Connor can now play in her rock & roll band, to a crowd of cheering fans and help other young girls do the same.
