Mexican Immigrant Who Came to U.S. With ‘Nothing’ Wins $15M in California Lottery

Nearly four decades after immigrating to California from Mexico, Fernando Ayala has become a $15 million lucky lottery winner.

Per a California Lottery press release dated Wednesday, May 27, Ayala scratched a winning Royal Jackpot Scratchers ticket he purchased at Quik Stop, located at 601 N. Cloverdale Blvd. in Cloverdale, California.

The win came after a lucky sequence: Ayala had bought a ticket the day before with a serial number ending in 18, won $40, then returned to the store and used those winnings to buy another. When he noticed the new ticket’s serial number ended in 17, he knew something was different.

“It was right there,” Ayala said, per the release. “Anybody can go and buy it — I feel like the ticket was waiting for me all night.”

But for Ayala, the win carries a weight that goes far beyond the money. “I came from Mexico when I was 12 years old. I was sleeping by the river and washed dishes for years, I never made this kind of money and I know how hard it is to earn a living,” he said, per the release.

Ayala says the $15 million jackpot is a validation of everything he sacrificed to get here. “I came to the United States with nothing,” he said. “I worked hard, got married, raised my son and built a life. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

Despite the windfall, Ayala says little about his day-to-day life will change. “I’m still going to work, still going to help people and still live my life the same way. That’s who I am,” he said, per the release.

Per the release, proceeds from California Lottery sales support public education statewide, with more than $48 billion raised for schools since 1985.