She's an instant multi-millionaire, but Michele Dickerson will keep her day job.
The lucky Alameda County mom claimed the winning $32 million California Lottery ticket from the Sept. 19 drawing, but despite her new-found financial freedom, she'll keep working at a San Francisco credit union.
Dickerson, who bought the winning SuperLotto Plus ticket at a San Lorenzo liquour store, told reporters she couldn't believe it when she saw the winning combination of numbers that matched the ones on her ticket. Her husband finally confirmed her wildest dreams -- they had hit the jackpot.
Her friends thought something bad had happened when she came to work in tears.
"There was lots of screaming and jumping," she said, after she shared the amazing news with her (no-doubt very jealous) co-workers. She was keeping the news from her 10-year-old daughter because she didn't want her to be distracted before an upcoming test at school.
Her strong work ethic will keep her going back to the credit union -- as an employee.
"This money is not going to change me," said Dickerson, who made time during her work day to talk to the press. "It's not about the things, it's about the memories you make with the people you love."
She used birthdays and special dates to come up with the magic numbers: 6, 17, 33, 44 and 46, and the Mega number 18.
Dickerson said she wants to use part of the money to buy a house, take her family on a long vacation and maybe start a business.
