Although last year was a difficult one for Sarah Voska, thus far 2004 has been just fine for the 21-year-old Hofstra student. Just recently, Voska enjoyed a free trip to sunny Florida and even came back with some money, $64,000 to be exact, her winning from the popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

"It was so incredible," said an ecstatic Voska about the trip in which she and two companions, her boyfriend Craig and brother Tom, got to enjoy the Disney parks and all the rides and attractions they had to offer while the show was filming the contestants.

The journey began when representatives from the show came to Hofstra to offer a test for potential contestants for a college week to be taped in Florida.

"My boyfriend woke me up to go over to school and take the test," Voska recalled.

Although Craig didn't qualify, Sarah passed the test, allowing her a friendly dig at her boyfriend. Voska jokingly told the producer that he didn't have to put her on the show since beating her boyfriend on the test was satisfaction enough. "He thought I was really funny and we just did a brief interview about what I did at school and then I received a postcard a few weeks later, saying I was eligible as a contestant," she said.

Three weeks later, Voska found out she had been chosen to be one of 12 contestants on Who Wants to be a Millionaire's college week and it was off to Florida.

While being on the "Hot Seat" may be filled with anxiety for many, Voska did just fine. The public relations major who is a member of Hofstra's student government organization and has had a lifetime of experience in theater fed off the energy from the crowd. "I'm one of those people who thrive off other people's energy. I was just totally pumped" she said.

Voska also didn't put any pressure on herself to succeed. "I wasn't expecting to win any money. My feeling was I had received a complimentary trip and that was fine for me. Just the whole experience of everything, I was just so happy so it didn't matter if I won any money," she said.

But as Voska kept answering questions, the reality that she was winning money set in. "I was freaking out. It starts hitting you when you start going up in increments. I started getting really excited on air," she said.

With the joy and excitement, Voska was experiencing the sadness she endured last year over the death of her father and the illness of her mother.

Last year, both of her parents, mom Noelle and father Edward, were fighting cancer. After four months of battling cancer, Edward Voska passed away in August. "I'm a college student, facing my last year of school, I turn around and go to start school and they dropped me from my student loan because my father was my co-signer," she said.

Voska found help from an assistant dean at Hofstra who helped her file for financial aid and receive an endowment. "One by one, things started falling into place. I started having a way to pay for school and then I was still short of money and here I went on this television show and I won all that money. It's kind of surreal that now I don't have to worry about how I'm going to pay for school. Hopefully 2004 will be a lot better than 2003," she said.

Voska ended up winning $64,000 on the show with the help of her family including her mother and father. Voska remembered her parents' love for Man of La Mancha, the main character of which is Don Quixote. "Growing up, we always heard about the story in my house," she said.

One question asked what object Don Quixote mistook for giants. Voska knew right away that the answer was windmills. "It's such a sign that my dad is on my side," she said. "I told [host] Meredith Viera that if I didn't know it, my mother would kill me. I just knew with that question that [my father] was there with me."

Later on, she got help on the $32,000 question from her brother, Edward Jr., a teacher in Albany, who was able to provide her with the answer.

"I can't believe it. It doesn't happen to people like me," said the Hofstra senior about winning the money. "Especially after the year I had, I'm so blessed."

Wearing her light blue "Hofstra" shirt, Voska made the most of the moment, answering questions while soaking in the excitement of being on a national show. The Hofstra nickname is "The Pride," which is appropriate because she brought pride to her community and school.