ISU student Katie Lewis is going to Europe for free.

Lewis, freshman in agricultural education, received two round-trip tickets to Europe, two Eurorail passes and $1,000 in spending money after she won a promotional drawing put on by Versity.com, an Internet lecture notes company.

Lewis was handed a “ticket” while Versity.com was promoting its Web site on campus. The ticket had a pin number on it, which she entered on the Web site when she registered with Versity.com.

“The Friday right before break, I got an e-mail saying that I had won. It said I had to mail the ticket in, so I was really upset with myself for throwing it away,” Lewis said. “I was mad because I didn’t think I was going to get to go, and I’d never have this shot again.”

During a conference call with Versity.com’s regional manager, Curt Kluth, and Steve Larson, the ISU campus manager, Lewis said she kept asking if it was some kind of scam or hoax.

“She was a bit skeptical initially. Because she only received an e-mail, she wasn’t sure the trip was for real,” said Larson, senior in management. “After Curt and I spoke to her, she began to realize it was the real thing and began to get very excited.”

They convinced her it was indeed the real thing and told her the company had decided that she didn’t need to have the winning ticket.

Lewis said she had already considered studying abroad in Europe, but wasn’t sure if she would actually be able to go. Now she thinks she’ll make it a priority.

“I was thinking about maybe studying over there, possibly in Spain,” said Lewis, who is seeking a minor in Spanish. “I think that if I go there once that I’ll want to go back and study abroad.”

Lewis said she is thinking about taking the free trip for two and a half to three weeks this June and July.

Larson said Lewis can spend from one week up to a month in Europe. She can use the plane tickets to fly out of any major city in the United States to any major city in Europe, and she can use the Eurorail passes for up to a month.

“We are very excited and proud that an ISU student is able to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

The only question left is who to take. The trip is for two, and Lewis said the second spot is up for grabs.

“I don’t know. It’ll probably be my boyfriend, but my parents don’t know that yet,” she said.