Lotto winner returns to work a millionaire

Thursday, September 24, 2009 posted 09:40 AM EDT

Michele Dickerson won the $32 million jackpot but still reported to her work at a San Francisco credit union Tuesday.

Dickerson told reporters that despite being the state's newest multimillionaire, she's still the same person, an Alameda County resident who is married and is the mother of a 10-year-old daughter.

Dickerson bought her ticket at Model Liquors at 275 East Lewelling Blvd. in San Lorenzo on Saturday night. She said her winning numbers - 6, 17, 33, 44 and 46, and the Mega number 18 - were a combination of special birthdays and other important dates.

She couldn't believe she had won. For a half hour on Sunday night, she picked up and put down her laptop repeatedly. Her husband finally confirmed that she was the lucky winner.

Dickerson said she called her mother with the good news. "I don't know, for some reason I whispered into the phone, 'I won!' she said, laughing. When she showed up to work in tears on Monday, her colleagues thought something bad had happened to a family member. After she told them the good news, "there was lots of screaming and jumping," Dickerson said.

She will take the lump-sum payment and receive $19.7 million before taxes. Her plans include buying a house.

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