DESERT SENIOR A REAL WINNER.

Byline: John Sanders Daily News Staff Writer

Most people can only dream of having a 4.67 grade point average, scoring a 1530 on their Scholastic Assessment Test and a 33 on their American College Test.

And most people can only dream of going to the University of Southern California on nearly a full scholarship.

But for one Desert High School student those dreams are realities.

Not only did senior Julie Payne receive USC's Trustee Scholarship worth more than $22,000 a year, she also is among four valley winners of the National Merit Scholarship.

Payne joins Quartz Hill's Jaspreet Brar and Erin Shelley and Desert Christian's Dana Johnson as other local winners of the prestigious scholarship.

``I was really thrilled,'' said the 17-year-old Payne. ``Because this is California, a great deal of students do really well on their SATs and PSAT's (Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test), and to have qualified in California, it was actually a really big deal. It gave me that extra boost that showed that I was actually a good student when I was applying to colleges.''

USC would certainly agree.

It offered Payne the National Merit Scholarship for $500 a year for four years. Along with USC's Trustee Scholarship, Payne also received some local scholarships that together will pay for Payne's entire tuition. Payne said she will only have to pay about $5,000 for attendance at USC, which charges about $32,000 a year.

While at USC, Payne will major in computer engineering.

Payne, who is one of Desert's valedictorians, was a leading player on the school's volleyball and basketball teams, a mathlete champion and a member of the California Scholarship Federation. Payne is also the president of the National Honors Society and the vice president of the Associated Student Body.

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PHOTO (Color) PAYNE