For Cheryl Blanchette of Morrisville, a $25,000 A Year For Life prize means no more student loans.

“This is truly life-changing,” said Blanchette, who just graduated with her masters in communications. “I never planned to go back to school, but a few years ago I felt it was time for a career change. Now that I have this, it’s going to wipe the slate clean. To know that I can be debt free. I feel so grateful and blessed.”

Blanchette’s good fortune happened when she stopped to get groceries at the Lowe’s Food on Brier Creek Parkway in Raleigh. While there, she bought a $2 Lucky For Life ticket for Thursday’s drawing. She checked the ticket early Friday morning.

“I scanned the ticket using the lottery app,” Blanchette said. “It told me I had a winning ticket, but of course you never think you won one of the top prizes. I checked the numbers myself and was in shock. I was like, ‘What is this? I think I just won.’ This is just amazing!”

Blanchette claimed her prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. Winners are guaranteed $25,000 a year for life, but have the option of taking a lump sum of $390,000. Blanchette chose the lump sum option. After federal and state tax withholdings, she took home $275,925.

Blanchette’s ticket matched the five white balls to win the prize. It beat odds of one in 1.8 million. Lucky for Life has 10 ways to win a prize. Blanchette won the second-place prize of $25,000 A Year For Life. The top prize is $1,000 A Day For Life.

Ticket sales from games like Lucky for Life made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. To learn how lottery funds made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.