A young valley woman is now able to invest in her education after winning $1 million in an Albertsons version of Monopoly in Northeast El Paso.

"I didn't know what to do. I was like, Ahhh!'" said Melissa Varela.

Varela is one of thousands in the Borderland who played the Albertsons Monopoly game, and she won big time.

"I remember I only needed a broccoli sticker from the million-dollar ones, and when I saw it, I started yelling and screaming," said Varela.

It was Varela's boyfriend who introduced her to the game, and after that, she was hooked.

"I remember thinking, 'This sticker was in another state. It's not here; it's not in Texas at all, for crying out loud.

After accepting the million-dollar check from Albertsons, she still has the urge to play.

"I still wanted to buy tickets because I just wanted to play; it was more because I was having fun with it.

After going back and forth from store to store, Melissa finally realized she had the last piece she needed, and just like the board game, she's now $1 million richer -- except with real cash.

Albertsons Southwest Regional President Shane Dorcheus said he's happy a young woman like Varela won, because she plans to invest in it in her education.

"A couple of years ago, we gave away a half-a-million-dollar mortgage in Las Lunas, N.M., and today, a very lucky lady won $1 million," said Dorcheus.

Varela is a freshman at El Paso Community College. Since winning her million, she now plans to go to the University of Texas at El Paso to find a way to perfectly invest her money.

"Since I'm winning this amount of money, why not go into business?" said Varela.

"Today is a very exciting day; a very exciting event. We couldn't be happier," she added.

Varela says even though her winnings might change her life for the better, she says she plans on staying the same person.

"I still want to feel down-to-earth," said Varela.