The College Board surprised a West Haven High School senior with a $40,000 scholarship during a ceremony in the auditorium on Sept. 23.

The lucky winner, Antonio Ponton, thought he was at a regular school assembly until he was called up to the stage and presented with the massive check. Antonio was only one of two seniors from across the country to win this huge scholarship in September.

Antonio earned a chance for the scholarship by completing at least one of the key steps to plan, prepare, and pay for college through BigFuture. That’s the College Board’s online guide that helps students plan for life after high school.

All Class of 2023 students are eligible to win $500 and $40,000 scholarships. There are no requirements for an essay, test score, citizenship status, family income, or minimum GPA.

Drawings for the scholarships are held every month. Students whose families earn less than $60,000 per year have extra chances at the scholarships.

The sooner students complete the steps and the more steps they take, the more entries they’ll earn. Students can head to bigfuture.org to begin completing college planning steps and earn scholarships.