Tejas Patel of Fayetteville had a hard time believing his good fortune after his $5 scratch-off revealed a $250,000 prize.

“When I saw the $250,000, I just couldn’t believe it,” he recalled. “Like, how could I just win?”

Patel purchased his winning $250,000 Gold Rush ticket from the Champs Food Mart on N.C. 41 West in Bladenboro.

“I don’t buy a lot of tickets, normally,” he said. “So, this was a surprise.”

He claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $176,876 after required federal and state tax withholdings.

“I just graduated from the University of Akron as a mechanical engineer,” said Patel. “That’s my second degree so it took a little bit of time.” He plans to put his winnings into savings.

Ticket sales from scratch-offs like $250,000 Gold Rush make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. Last year, money raised by the lottery provided college scholarships to 765 students in Cumberland County. For details, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.