SACRAMENTO – It isn’t often that a person’s life changes in front of a full studio audience. But that’s exactly what happened to Josefina Sineriz, 61, of Bakersfield who became the first millionaire in the short history of “Make Me a Millionaire,” winning $2.8 million.

Sineriz said she plans to spend some of her winnings on the needs of her family. Her brother was one example. “I’m going to build my brother a home in the Philippines because a hundred dollars goes a long way there,” said Sineriz. She also plans to pay for any medical care stemming from her husband’s emphysema and to help others. “Why not share it?” she said.

Her road to riches began when the retired Army employee got a coupon when purchasing $5 in Fantasy 5 tickets. She mailed it in and was randomly drawn to appear on the 10th episode of the Lottery’s new TV game show. Playing a perfect game by selecting the right number 11 consecutive times, Sineriz spelled out her future “M-I-L-L-I-O-N-A-I-R-E,” and was the first contestant to hit the progressive jackpot, which had grown to $2.8 million.

To learn more about our winner, check out our video on www.calottery.com starting Sunday.

Sineriz will receive her prize in 20 annual installments. In addition to the $2.8 million prize, two contestants won cars.